


Serenity // Scorbus

by sydickerson



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Next Generation, M/M, Muggle Technology, Ravenclaw! Albus Severus, Ravenclaw! Rose, Ravenclaw! Scorpius, Scorpius is a makeup guru, the squad is famous on youtube
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:46:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9687776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sydickerson/pseuds/sydickerson
Summary: "we try staying up latebut we both are light weightsyeah we get off our face, too easyand we take jokes way too far'cause sometimes living's too hardwe're like two halves of one heart"where Albus, Rose, and Scorpius are in Ravenclaw and also happen to be internet famous. They battle through their final summer as Hogwarts students, trying to be normal teenagers and find out not everything will go the way they want.my inspiration for this comes from the fanfiction 'The Fred Weasley Memorial Project' by Ad Astra on harrypotterfanfiction.com. 12/10 would recommend reading that fic.Also what is The Cursed Child I don't know what that is? so we're going to ignore that while reading this okay





	1. menswear

**Author's Note:**

> Scorbus playlist for this book:  
> •TALK ME DOWN - Troye Sivan  
> •Beautiful Thing - Grace VanderWaal  
> •Tonight - Lykke Li  
> •Loving Someone - The 1975  
> •for him. - Troye Sivan ft. Allday  
> •Mother & Father - Broods  
> •Sick Of Loosing Soulmates- Dodie Clark

Albus sighed, leaning up against the bathroom doorframe, "Full makeup, even though we're going to be sitting on a bloody train all day?" Albus smirked, looking at his boyfriend in the mirror.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, leaning forward slightly as he applied mascara, "You never know when there's going to be good selfie lighting."

Rose laughed from her spot on Scorpius' bed, not even looking up from her phone, "True that." Ever since the war, Muggle technology had been greatly intertwined with Wizarding culture. Each House had their own wifi so students could access the internet on their phones or tablets.

Albus fondly rolled his eyes and Scorpius gave him a cheeky smile through the mirror. Albus pushed off the doorframe and stepped close enough to Scorpius to wrap his arms around the blondes torso and nuzzle his face into his back.

The dormitory door swung open and their friend and dorm mate, Jonah Chang stepped in and said, "Just came in to let you know that we have twenty minutes until the train leaves." He then sat down next to Rose and continued to look at whatever was on her phone.

"Are you done now, Love?" Albus mumbled into Scorpius' back.

"Yes, Mr. Impatient," Scorpius replied, zipping up his makeup bag

Albus rested his chin on Scorpius' shoulder and ignored the fact that he had to stand on his tip-toes. "You look very handsome," he briefly pressed his lips to the exposed skin where his shoulder met his neck.

Scorpius hummed and turned to peck Albus' forehead in response. Albus unlinked his arms from around Scorpius and followed him out of the bathroom.

"Are you ready for the most boring train ride of your life?" Jonah asked, hoping up from the bed as the two walked out.

"You'll just be bored because you got your phone taken away," Rose teased.

"It's not my fault you guys wanted to sneak out," he pouted.

"No, it's your fault that you got caught," Albus smirked.

"Oi," Jonah swatted at him, laughing. As the four walked out of the dormitory Jonah and Albus had a shoving competition. There were still a couple people in the Ravenclaw common room.

"Twenty minutes!" Rose shouted to the common room to let them know how much longer.

"You're such an inspiring Prefect," Scorpius drawled sarcastically.

"Shut it, at least I did something," she elbowed Scorpius' side.

"We weren't told to do anything," Scorpius retaliated.

"We would still be held responsible if we let students miss the bloody train home for the holidays," she bickered back.

"You go above and beyond, that's what makes you so inspiring, Rosie," Albus draped his arms over her shoulders from behind.

She shrugged him off her back and walked in front of the group. As they stepped out of the common room, they ran into Sheila Belby, another one of their friends.

"I was just coming to get you guys!" she huffed, doubling over and resting on her knees.

"Damn, did you run a marathon?" Albus asked, referring to how winded she was.

"Fuck off, I ran from the train all the way here. Those stairs are a bitch!" They all laughed in agreement and continued on their way.

On the train Jonah was all pouty because Sheila and Scorpius were taking loads of selfies, Rose was blogging away on her Tumblr, and Albus was intent on beating his high score on Color Switch.

Jonah sighed dramatically and rested his chin in his hand as he stared longingly out the train window, "Imagine how many Pokémon I could be catching."

They laughed and Albus switched to Pokémon GO, "You're missing out on a whole lot of Rattatas, Weedles, and Pidgeys, that's for sure." He held his phone out for Jonah to see. He had been laying with his feet in Scorpius' lap so Jonah had hand to lean forward to see his screen.

"The train's probably going too fast for you to catch them all anyways," Rose shrugged.

Scorpius tried not to laugh as he held his phone up to take a picture of Jonah pouting. He uploaded it to Twitter and said, "when u get your phone taken away & have nothing to do".

Several seconds after Scorpius tweeted the picture, Albus and Rose both laughed and looked up at each other, "Did you see his tweet too?"

"Poor Jonah," Rose giggled, holding out her phone so Jonah could see Scorpius' tweet.

Jonah huffed, "You guys are arseholes."

"We love you though," Sheila gave him a huge smile and flung her arms around his shoulders.

Scorpius' Twitter notifications started blowing up. They always did after he tweeted anything, he was what the Muggles call 'Internet Famous'. He had nearly a million YouTube subscribers and just as much Twitter followers. This was concerning for the Ministry of Magic considering about 98% of his followers were Muggles and the Wizarding World was still a huge secret. His content, along with all wizard and witches who were on social media networks made by Muggles, was closely monitored by the ministry. There were certain guidelines that the wizarding community had to follow when using Muggle technology and if you so much as broke one code, you would get your privileges revoked.

Scorpius was very careful about that though and made sure all of his stuff was okay. He mostly posted about makeup on his YouTube and girls were all over that, not that it mattered to him since he was explicitly gay, and was dating Albus.

Albus wasn't nearly as popular on social media, but only because he chose not to be. If he was more consistent about putting videos up on YouTube he would be just as popular as Scorpius. Albus' YouTube was only occasional little vlogs he made. One reason they were so limited was because their lives were so intertwined with magical stuff that it was almost impossible to get a decent length vlog without any indication of magic.

Scorpius' fans adored his relationship with Albus and most of his replies on Twitter were asking him to post pictures of Albus or him and Albus.

'where's ur bf??'

'same jonah same'

'post a pic of al plz'

'are u with albus rn ??? take a pic !!'

'i relate on an emotional level'

'follow me please!! i love youu❤️❤️'

'POST A SELFIE W ALBUSS YOU GUYS ARE GOALS'

Scorpius scrolled through his notifications, rolling his eyes. They were always the same.

"So you know how people say 'jiminy Christmas'?" Jonah asked randomly.

"I thought people said 'jiminy cricket'?" Albus questioned.

"Shush now. Anyways, why don't people just say 'chriminy'?" he wondered.

The carriage was silent for a moment until Rose just said, "Fuck off," without even looking up from her phone. The three others laughed while Jonah mocked offense.

"Are you really that bored?" Sheila asked, her dainty hand covering her mouth as she laughed.

Just then their carriage door opened and Lily Luna stepped inside, "Hello my favorite Ravenclaws," she smiled, slipping into the space between Sheila and Jonah, her small frame allowing her to do so.

"Hi Lils! What's up?" Sheila asked happily.

"Just wanted to say 'hi'!" she chirped back.

"Well, you've said 'hi' now," Albus retorted rudely, gesturing towards the door that she left open.

"Merlin Al, be nice," James snapped sarcastically from his spot in the door.

Albus stuck his tongue out at his older brother, "You wouldn't like her barging in on you and your friends."

"No, but I'd say it nicely," James stuck his tongue out back at him childishly.

Lily and Rose laughed, "I highly doubt that," Lily snorted, sitting up and stepping over to James, "Come on, were not wanted here," she gripped his arm and pulled him out of their carriage.

"Ugh," Albus groaned, "I'm so glad he's moving out in two months."

"You'll miss him," Sheila commented.

Albus gave her a pointed look, "I'd be insane to."

"Have you never seen how they act towards each other at home?" Rose asked Sheila.

"I don't think so, no. Why?" she asked.

"He tries to rip my throat out most of the times," Albus replied matter-of-factly.

Sheila's eyes widened, "Damn, glad I don't have an older brother then. Or any siblings at that..." she trailed off.

"Only-child twins!" Scorpius held up his hand for a high five. Sheila slapped his hand as hard as she could and they both pulled away, whining about how it hurt.

The other three laughed, "That even sounded like it hurt," Albus chuckled.

About an hour later the lady with the trolley and sweets came by. Albus got the lot and Scorpius frowned at him. Scorpius tried very hard to eat healthy but Albus didn't even attempt.

As they munched on their sweets Rose asked, "Did anyone manage to grab the last copy of The Dragon?"

"Lucky for you, I did," Sheila responded, leaning over to dig in her bag, "I knew you lot would forget," she held out the school magazine to them and Rose snatched it.

"What are our horoscopes, Rosie?" Albus asked. Rose loved reading out their horoscopes, and Al did agree that they were quite interesting sometimes.

"Who's should I read first?" Rose asked, flipping to the two middle pages where the horoscopes were always located.

"Mine!" Sheila demanded, sitting on the edge of her seat to be closer to Rose who was sat across from her.

"Alright Cancer," she pointed to it on the page, "Oh! It's your monthly overview instead of your weekly overview. I guess that makes since sense we won't be here for next weeks..." she then continued on, "'Toss the glitter, cut the cake: It's your birthday season, Crab! While your sign is famous for nurturing everyone else, this is your month to focus on Numero Uno, pouring your energy into cherished personal goals and passion projects. Thinking of trying a new look? Feel free to experiment with bolder colors and styles than you usually reach for—and allow the spotlight to warm your shoulders instead of shying away from it.'"

"Brilliant!" Sheila smiled, "And just so you know, you're all invited to my birthday party. I'm not sure when it is but I'll be sure to text you, and my parents will probably want to owl yours," she explained.

"Thanks, I was afraid I wouldn't be invited this year," Albus smirked sarcastically.

"I can take you off the invite list," she threatened.

"Would you like to hear the Love & Romance part?" Rose asked Sheila, adverting everyones attention back to herself.

Sheila nodded. "'Turn up the heat! The love planets are on Team Crab this month, giving your summer a sexy boost. A potent love connection could ignite, and for some Cancers this rare aspect could. For couples, this Venus-Mars meet up could raise the temperatures, firing up your attraction to each other. Make a special effort to glam up and plan a sexy date night under this sultry influence,'" Rose read and everyone 'oooh'ed'.

"Gonna get your self a boyfriend?" Jonah asked, wiggling his eyebrows in mock seduction. She slapped his arm, ignoring the blush on her pale cheeks.

"Do mine," Scorpius instructed.

"Scorpio-" Rose started but Sheila cut her off.

"I'll never get over that," she giggled.

"Fuck off, it's not my fault I was born in November," Scorpius teasingly swatted at her.

"But your parents had to have known that your were born in the time of Scorpio," Jonah insisted.

"My parents don't give a damn about that kind of stuff, they just liked the constellation I guess," Scorpius shrugged. "Read on would you, Rose?"

"Gladly," she replied, "'Cast a wide net, Scorpio! Widen your viewfinder, O Focused One, and you'll see all the possibilities you may have missed. This is an excellent month to travel, explore metaphysical concepts, or just make a dedicated effort to bust out of your comfort zone. Loosen your grip on the reins and let yourself explore beyond what "makes sense"—because honestly, dreams always defy logic in their nascent stages.'"

"Nice, maybe that means I'll travel somewhere other than France this summer," Scorpius sighed.

"Oi, I'd kill to go to France every summer," Sheila said.

"Not when you have to spend a month with your close-minded, homophobic grandfather who should be in Azkaban," Scorpius retaliated.

"Still..." Sheila tried.

"You should come with me," Scorpius offered.

"Really?" Sheila perked up.

Scorpius nodded, "I've always been allowed to take a friend."

"Oh! That would be so lovely!" She squealed.

"Read the Love & Romance part now," Albus again turned the attention back to Rose.

"Alright, love and romance for Scorpio; 'Who's the hottest catch in town this month?-'"

"Albus," Scorpius interrupted, earning an embarrassed laugh from Albus.

Rose laughed as well, "Nope. 'You are, Scorpio—so work that swagger!"

They all laughed at 'swagger', "'Now, the stars unleash your already famous libido. Who will be the lucky recipient of your legendary prowess? That's for you to have fun determining. If you're in a committed relationship, maybe it's time to introduce some new moves or try a few of the Tantric tricks you've read about.'"

"Ooh, what tricks do you have?" Albus teased, sitting up and leaning close to Scorpius who rolled his eyes, feeling the blush seep over his skin.

"Do his next," Scorpius told Rose, letting his hand slip behind Al and up his shirt. Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius and rested his chin on his boyfriend's shoulder, randomly pressing light kisses to the skin exposed under his shirt.

"Leo," Rose read, "'As the month kicks off you aren't in your normal life-of-the-party mode, Leo, and that's okay. You might be feeling a little out of sorts, craving more solitude than usual under this star map. Instead of tearing it up with your crew at the beach, give yourself permission to lay low for a hot minute. Spend some solo time to declutter and catch up on sleep. Under this more spiritual vibe, you might also meditate or ramp up a yoga practice.'"

They all busted out laughing, "Imagine Albus doing yoga!" Jonah doubled over, laughing.

"I feel like if it even happened, it would barely last a minute," Albus chuckled along with them.

"Honestly, I don't think you have the patience for yoga," Rose said, the corner of her eyes crinkled from laughing.

"Read the Love & Romance part now," Scorpius smiled.

"'Home is where the HEAT is this July, Leo! Close the blinds, light a sexy candle, and turn on some sexy music. For some Leos it's time for a visit to each other's families. You're driven to create a happy, emotionally satisfying home life, whatever that looks like for you. Nurturing your closest bonds gives you ALL the feels.'"

"Because I get all the feels when I hang around my family..." Albus droned sarcastically.

"'Be careful, though, as you're probably touchier than usual under these skies. You could be prone to snapping at your honey,-'" Rose continued on.

"My honey," Albus giggled quietly, pressing his nose to the side of Scorpius' neck, while also moving his whole body further on to his lap.

"'-or if you're single, a well-meaning loved one who innocently asks about your love life. Take a ten-second deep breath break before lashing out. Also, to stay centered—and less prone to outbursts—add in more self-care activities, like scheduling some downtime,'" Rose finished.

"Does that downtime include yoga?" Jonah snickered, slapping his knee.

"Jonah, your monthly overview for Aries is... 'This month you could have a heartfelt moment with someone in your inner circle who helps you feel less alone (no Aries, you don't have to do it all yourself),'" Rose read.

"Which one of us in your inner circle is it?" Sheila asked, wiggling her eyebrows just as he had done to her earlier.

"'You could also be tempted to close yourself off out of a fear of feeling too much—but we advise you to dive deep into those healing depths now. Remember: Empathy is the great connector of humanity. You could also unearth a serendipitous lead on a new place, or make a decision to move into a space that's more 'you,''" Rose finished.

"Wonderful," Sheila clapped, "Thank you Rose."

"You're welcome," she pretended to take a bow. She then continued to flip through the pages.

"What else is in there?" Scorpius wondered, looking over her shoulder at the magazine.

"It's mostly summer stuff. There's a page on what to do this summer... There's a page on how to stay cool. Oh! There's a couple pages dedicated to the seventh years. 'Cutest couple' is Davy and Makayla. 'Best prankster' is obviously your brother," she said to Albus. She proceeded to read off the things people got awarded buy the student body.

The Dragon was a magazine that had been started about a year before James Sirius had started school. At first it was relatively small, it usually had contained news or updates within the school. Eventually it grew into something everyone read on a weekly basis. The magazine crew had grown from three people to about thirty people within the first five years. There were sections about the latest gossip of that week; mostly rumors or couples that had got together, who had slept with who. Who aced the Potions test when no one else had. Who had made their house Quidditch team. How each house was doing in the House Cup race, and people making anonymous bets on who they thought would win it (that definitely included teachers but they'd never admit that).

As the train stopped at the platform, Albus and Scorpius said their goodbyes on the train. Sheila and Rose pretended to gag as they kissed and brushed each others cheeks along with other mushy-gushy couple things. Their three friends let them have a couple seconds of privacy because they understood that they couldn't do that out on the platform like all the other couples.

The five of them walked off the train (Albus and Scorpius held hands until they were completely off because they're lovesick dorks). They bid farewell to Sheila, who Scorpius promised to contact about the whole France thing. Then Jonah who had spotted his mum, saluted his friends and sped off. Rose and Albus' parents were standing together and Draco was standing a ways down.

"Bye, love you," Scorpius whispered, squeezing his boyfriends arm.

"Love you too - hey, I'll text you but I want you to come to dinner at my house tomorrow night," Albus halted him for a moment.

"Alright, yeah, I'll check with my father and let you know," Scorpius smiled, resisting the urge to kiss him one last time.

"Bye Rose," Scorpius waved slightly as the cousins separated from him.  
"See ya' later!" Rose called after him.

Scorpius hesitantly approached his father who was dressed primly, like he had come straight from the Ministry.

"Hello Scorpius," Draco greeted stiffly.

"Hello, father," he then glanced around and noticed Astoria wasn't there. "Where's mum?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Abroad for work," Draco replied before stopping abruptly and eyeing Scorpius. "What's that on your face?" he squinted slightly as if he was trying to figure out if he was just imagining it.

Scorpius' hand flew up to his face, "Is there something on my face?" he asked suddenly worried that there had been chocolate or something from when Albus had tried to force feed him a bloody chocolate frog.

"Is that make up?" Draco asked, sounding slightly appalled.

Scorpius' stomach sank, "Oh, uh yeah," his hand dropped to his cloak pocket. He'd forgotten that his parents weren't aware that he wore makeup. He knew they wouldn't approve so he avoided putting obvious amounts on when he was home. He hadn't been as cautious this morning.

"Well take it off right this second. I will not be seen with my son wearing such feminine things," Draco snapped, furrowing his blonde eyebrows in anger.

"But I-" Scorpius tried to protest.

"I said take it off," Draco instructed sternly.

Scorpius visibly deflated, he took out his wand and quickly did the spell Sheila had taught him years ago to remove makeup.

"That's better. Come along now. Your mother will be home in time for dinner. She's sorry she couldn't be here to see you home," Draco spoke, already walking away.

Scorpius wanted to cry, but knew his father would just get more upset with him if he did so.


	2. is there somebody who can watch you

"Your mother was to be home thirty minutes ago," Draco said grumpily, glancing at the clock on the wall for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"I'm sure she'll be alright..." Scorpius tried. It was quite obvious that his father was rigid, though Scorpius wasn't sure why. Draco tried to make it seem like it was because Astoria was late, but Scorpius could tell it was otherwise.

Draco suddenly slammed his fist on the table, making the china clink and Scorpius flinch. Draco rested his head in his hands.

Scorpius bit his lip before speaking, "Father, what's wrong? Mother being late has never made you upset before..."

Draco let out a long sigh, "I'm disappointed in you, Scorpius," he didn't even look up from the table.

Scorpius shrank back in his chair as a defense, "Wh-why are you disappointed?" he asked nervously. His father had never lashed out at him in anyway before so he was quite terrified.

Draco finally looked up, "Which one of your friends made you put on that makeup?"

"None of them made me... I-I put it on, I wanted to," Scorpius explained hesitantly.

Draco furrowed his eyebrows, "Does this mean you're... homosexual?"

Scorpius' eyes widened, "No, I - I just like makeup," he stuttered, "It's fun, a-and it's basically just art..."

"Why did you think it was okay to wear it in public?" Draco asked, his eyebrows still furrowed.

"Because everyone at school is okay with it, so I assumed..." Scorpius explained.

Draco huffed, "Well you assumed wrong. Did you not see how many nasty looks we were getting while you had that rubbish on your face?"

Scorpius didn't want to argue, but his dad was wrong. There hadn't been anyone giving him a dirty look.

"Then why can't I just wear it here?" Scorpius tried.

"Because it's not natural, Scorpius!" Draco shouted, "You can't go flaunting around wearing makeup and girls clothes like some homosexual, when you aren't!" His chair clattered backwards as he stood up so harshly.

Scorpius bit back his tears and let his anger boil over, "I don't wear girls' clothes! And so what if I'm gay? That shouldn't change the way you treat me as your son!"

"No fag is a son of mine," he spat the word out as if it was venom. "I want you out," He jabbed at the door.

Scorpius choked on his tears, "You can't be serious!"

"I said get out!"

Scorpius stumbled as he pushed away from the table and ran out. He covered his mouth with his hand to try and muffle his sobs. He grabbed trunk that was still unloaded and by the front door and ran outside. He couldn't drag the damned thing very far so he gave up and quickly cast Reducto and stuffed it in his pocket. He made it past the front gate and all the magical wards before dropping to the pavement in a crying heap.

He tried to process all that had just happened. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and found Albus' name through his blurred vision and jabbed his thumb at the call button.

It rang several times before Albus' cheery voice came through, "Hey babe, what's up?" he sounded slightly out of breath as if he had just run up the stairs.

"Albus," Scorpius cried, "My dad just kicked me out I think? Can I come to your house?" his voice shook as he focused on behing coherent.

"Oh my God, Merlin, yes of course Scorpius. Where are you? My dad will come pick you up, alright?" Albus' voice was full of worry and concern and it made Scorpius want to cry even more.

"Okay, yeah, as long as it's not a bother-"

"Scorpius Hyperion, you're never a bother don't say that," Albus demanded and it sounded like he was running back down the stairs. Albus voice was muffled through the phone but Scorpius could make out most of what he was saying as he told Harry where Scorpius was and that he needed to be picked up.

An hour later Scorpius was sitting on the Potter's fluffy couch, sitting criss-cross-applesauce with a warm cuppa in his hands.

Ginny was perched in front of him and she brushed his tousled hair out of his eyes. Scorpius hadn't realized how much he missed his own mother until that moment, and let his eyes flutter shut to enjoy a mothers touch.

Albus was worriedly curled up next to him–but not close enough that it was obvious that they were anything more than friends.

"What happened?" Ginny asked, sitting down on the coffee table across from him.

"He-he just said, 'Get out!' a-and that was kind of it," Scorpius hiccuped slightly.

"Did he have a reason?" Ginny asked. Scorpius only nodded, "Do you want to talk about it?" she prodded. Scorpius briefly glanced from Albus back to his mum and then shook his head.

Harry, who was pacing by the door, cursed loudly, "That bloody git. I'm going to kill him."

"Mr. Potter, please-" Scorpius tried.

"No!" Harry cut him off, "He can't get away with kicking you out, for Merlins sake!"

"I-I'm sure it'll blow over... He was just upset that my mum was home late from her business trip s'all," Scorpius shrugged, "a-and he just took his anger out on me..."

"He didn't touch you, did he?" Ginny asked, becoming defensive again.

"No, no, he didn't hit me," Scorpius shook his head certainly.

Ginny sighed, "Alright, well I want you to know that you can stay here as long as you need, or want. You are always welcome. You know that there's a guest bedroom across from Al's that you can sleep in. Is that alright? Do you need anything to eat or drink?"

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Potter, that's wonderful, thank you. And no I don't need anything right now, this tea is fine thank you," Scorpius blabbered.

"Of course darling," Ginny comfortingly brushed his cheek again and stood up.

There was footsteps behind them as Lily came down the stairs, "Mum..."

"Lily, sweetie, get to bed please," Ginny instructed.

"But I-"

"Please. Can it wait till tomorrow?" Ginny asked, stepping towards her daughter, who was clad in a dressing robe and slippers.

Lily sighed, sounding just like her mother, "Fine." Ginny lightly gripped her shoulders and spun her around so she was facing the stairs.

Ginny followed her, but stopped barely two steps up, "You boys can stay up a bit later, but I want you in bed by eleven."

"What about me?" Harry asked playfully.

"I want you in bed by ten!" Ginny jabbed a finger at him and continued on up the stairs.

"Love you too, honey!" Harry called after her and gave the two boys a cheeky smile.

"Well, since I have-" Harry glanced at the clock above the fireplace, "ten minutes, I better get on up to bed. Goodnight boys, don't be too loud," Harry proceeded to the stairs as well.

"Goodnight dad," Albus called after him.

"Goodnight Mr. Potter," Scorpius spoke.

"You know you don't have to call me Mr. Potter, or Ginny Mrs. Potter? Harry and Ginny is fine," Harry smiled at Scorpius.

"Oh... Alright Mr- Harry," Scorpius flushed. Harry winked and then went on upstairs.

"Mr. Potter? Mrs. Potter? Are you trying to be the suck up boyfriend?" Albus giggled once he knew his father was out of earshot.

"No, I just- I was trying to be polite!" Scorpius insisted, setting his tea down on the coffee table so Albus could climb in his lap.

"Okay," Albus smiled softly, pushing Scorpius' fringe out of his eyes just like Ginny had. "Want to tell me what actually happened?" he asked quietly.

Scorpius pulled his bottom lip between his teeth to keep it from trembling. He explained everything to Albus, who frowned and cupped Scorpius' cheek in his hand, brushing his thumb over his cheekbone as he talked.

"Oh babe," Albus pecked his lips, "I'm so sorry," he said softly, "You're dad's kind of an arsehole, I'm sorry," he kissed him again, "But don't worry, okay? Mum said you can stay as long as you want and I don't mind that one bit," another kiss. "Your dad's got to get over himself and realize-" kiss, "that you're way more important than the fact that you wear makeup, or are attracted to guys." Albus kissed him yet again, longer this time. He could taste the salty tears on Scorpius' lips and didn't pull away until Scorpius sighed and rested his forehead against Al's.

"I'm so glad I have you," Scorpius admitted.

"I'm glad I have you too," Albus smiled.

They stayed silent for several moments till Scorpius broke the calm, "You've got some freckles popping up," he whispered.

Albus giggled and pulled away, covering his face with his hands, "Noo... I don't want freckles."

Scorpius laughed and pulled Albus' hands away from his face, "I love your freckles," he leaned forward and kissed both of Albus' cheeks, "They're adorable."

"I don't want to be adorable," Albus pouted.

"Well, you can't do anything about it," Scorpius smiled again, kissing Albus' protruding bottom lip.

••••

"Albus," Scorpius whispered, poking his boyfriend in the side, "Albus! Wake up!"

Albus groaned, rolling over and throwing a pillow at Scorpius, "Mmslemmp" he mumbled.

"Someone's awake downstairs," Scorpius hissed.

"Shit," Albus mumbled into the mattress, but didn't make a move to get up.

"Go back to your bed before someone finds us, or finds you missing," Scorpius tried pushing the smaller boy out of the bed, but to no avail.

"Can't I just lay here a little longer?" Albus whined, his front still pressed to the mattress.

"Go, Albus," Scorpius insisted, using his feet to push the black haired lad off the bed, succeeding this time.

Albus fell off the bed with a loud thunk, and a groan. He stood up and stretched, his back muscles contracting underneath his shirt. He quickly turned around and pecked Scorpius' temple then quietly made his way across the hall to his own room.

Scorpius didn't wait long to get out of bed. He quietly made his way downstairs. He was kind of afraid that the person awake downstairs was Harry or Ginny, because then they'd probably want to talk about last night some more, but he also kind of really wanted some coffee right now.

He made his way to the kitchen where he heard someone making coffee. It turned out to be James and Scorpius was silently relived.

"Hey," James greeted, his voice huskier than usual due to sleep.

"Hi," Scorpius replied, "Mind if I have some?" he asked, gesturing to the steaming cup in James' hand.

"Help yourself," James stepped out of the way and pointed out that if he wanted creamer, it was in the fridge.

"Thanks," Scorpius replied awkwardly, helping himself.

James sat down on top of the counter, secretly observing Scorpius. Scorpius then sat down on one of the bar stools, holding his steaming cup up to his lips.

"Albus slept in your bed last night?" James confronted.

Scorpius' cheeks flushed slightly, "Yeah... How'd you know?"

"Because I'm not stupid. When I came down here this morning, Albus' door was wide open and no one was in there. It was only obvious to me because I know you two are dating, and if my girlfriend was staying in the room across from me, that's where I'd be too," James went on.

"You know you can't tell your parents, right? Albus isn't ready to come out, and seeing as I sort of did last night and got kicked out..." Scorpius gave him a pointed look.

"That's why you got kicked out?" James asked, concern filling his voice. Scorpius just nodded, taking a sip of coffee. "Oh man, I'm so sorry... I'm sure he'll get over himself..." Scorpius just shrugged and continued to drink.

It wasn't until over an hour later that they finally heard someone else come downstairs. They were being quite loud and James was ready to scold someone by saying there were people sleeping. Then he realized it was both Lily and Albus as their arguing carried to the kitchen.

"Albus I got to the stairs first! Couldn't you just go behind me without shoving me the whole way down?" Lily snapped.

"No I clearly got to the stairs first, I had the right of way," Albus snapped back, shoving his sister as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Ugh," Lily huffed, "You're insufferable."

"Big word for a Gryiffindor," Albus teased, lightly flicking her ear.

Lily spun around and straight up punched him in the chest. Scorpius winced at how hard it was, but Albus only clutched his chest and laughed as he stumbled out of her way.

"Hey, Scorpius," he greeted, walking past his boyfriend and placing a kiss to his cheek before continuing on to the cereal cupboard.

Lily slunk under Albus' arm that was keeping the door open and grabbed a box of cereal.

"Hey! No! I was going to have that!" Albus protested, reaching for the box, but being so small, she easily ducked out of the way. She poured a bowl of it while Albus stood behind her, tapping his foot impatiently.

She shook the box, letting the final piece of cereal fall into her bowl. Albus' jaw dropped, "That's not fair, I get that bowl," he cried, "They can't be out, mum just got them like yesterday," Albus shook the box upside down and no cereal came out. Lily stuck her tongue out and pulled the bowl over to the spot next to Scorpius and started eating obnoxiously to piss Albus off.

"I get the whole box of it next time," Albus glared at his sister before turning back around to the cupboard, groaning about the bland choices.

"You guys are stupid," James muttered.

"Rude," Lily replied.

"Not you," James rolled his eyes, "Albus and Scorpius."

Albus scoffed, "Why do you say that?"

"Sleeping in the same bed? What if mum or dad had come in your room and not seen you, or worse came in Scorpius' room and saw you two?" James whisper-yelled.

Albus rolled his eyes and jumped up onto the stool on the other side of Scorpius, "I know you're salty about the time you snuck your girlfriend in and got caught in your bed- but as far as mum and dad are concerned, neither of us are gay. So it wouldn't have mattered," Albus glared at his brother.

James narrowed his eyes at Albus from across the counter, "You didn't do anything, did you?"

"No!" Albus gasped, "Of course not! We're not stupid, you know? Couples can just sleep in the same bed too."

Just then Harry walked in and casually poured himself a cup of coffee, noticing that everyone had fell silent as he came in, "What's up?" he asked.

Lily kept her eyes glued on her cereal, Scorpius sipped his coffee and Albus just sat there silently, he and James giving each other death glares when their father turned away.

••••

"SCORPIUS!" Lily sing-songed as she came bouncing down the steps.

Scorpius, who was curled up on the couch with a book, looked up to see what she needed, "Yeah?"

"Come do your nails with me," she demanded, setting her kit full of nail polishes on the coffee table.

"Put something down Lily," Ginny instructed, "I don't want you ruining my coffee table."

Scorpius closed his book and set it on the couch as he moved to the floor, kneeling across from Lily.

"What color do you think I should do?" She asked, "I had red and gold for Gryffindor last, but I'm already tired of it. I was thinking doing this maroon... But I'm not sure"

"Hmm," Scorpius hummed, looking through. her huge selection of colors, "This lime green would look nice on you," he held it out to her.

Lily smiled, "I agree! Red kind of clashes with my hair anyways," Scorpius nodded in agreement. "Red would look nice on you though," Lily commented, pulling out a nice subtle red from the mix.

"You think?" Scorpius asked, "I was thinking about going for a sky blue... or baby blue."

"Do a pink sparkly one!" Albus called from his spot on the couch.

"Are you making fun of me?" Scorpius laughed, reaching for his book to throw at Albus.

"No!" Albus insisted, "I like when you do pink sparkly nails."

Scorpius fondly rolled his eyes, turning back to Lily. "You think I should do red?"

Lily nodded eagerly, "And then make your ring fingers sparkly."

"What if I made all of my fingers sparkly?" Scorpius asked.

"Even better!" Lily exclaimed.

As the two painted their nails, Ginny informed the three of them that Rose and Hugo would be staying with them for a couple days.

"How come Rose never told us?," Albus asked.

Ginny shrugged, "Ron and Hermione made last minute plans to go on holiday, so she probably didn't even know."

"Uncle Ron doesn't trust them to stay home alone?" Lily asked.  
"Ron does, Hermione doesn't, at least not for a full week," Ginny explained.

"We'll have a full house," Lily noted.

"That we will. I like it better that way though," Ginny ruffled up her daughters hair, "But that means some people are going to have to give up their rooms..."

"Why can't Hugo just share with me, and Rose share with Albus?" Lily suggested.

"Or I could share with Scorpius," Albus offered. He and Scorpius made eye contact briefly, a mischievous glint in Albus' eye.

"Yeah, Rose can have the guest room and I'll sleep in Al's room," Scorpius added.

"Are you sure? Rose and Albus used to share a room all the time when they were younger so I'm sure they'd be fine," Ginny countered.

"I've shared a dorm with Albus, I'm sure it will be fine," Scorpius smiled assuringly and Ginny caved.

"Alright, if you're sure it's fine..." The boys both nodded, hiding their excitement. James would be so mad.

••••

After dinner, Harry and Ginny tried to get Albus alone to speak with him.

"I was just going to go help Scorpius with the shower and stuff," Albus replied.

"We want to talk to you first," Harry waved him over.

Albus glanced at Scorpius nervously and the latter followed him to the couch.

"Sorry Love, we just need to speak with Albus right now. Lily or James can help if you need anything," Ginny gave him a half smile and he nodded, awkwardly walking away.

Lily, who was still at the stairs, grabbed Scorpius' wrist and dragged him upstairs.

Once his parents knew Scorpius was upstairs and out of earshot, they started asking Al questions.

"I'm just going to come out and ask... Is Scorpius gay?" Harry asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Albus went wide-eyed, this was not what he was expecting.

"He means with all the nail polish, and make up stuff," Ginny explained.

"Uh-I-no? He just likes that stuff, it doesn't necessarily mean he likes guys... and even if he was it wouldn't be my place to tell you," Albus frowned.

"Alright, but just so you know, we don't have a problem with that - any of it, the make up, the nail polish. We want him to know that we completely support him and he is free to be himself here," Harry said.

"Yeah, I know - he knows," Albus nodded.

"It's just that he was talking about make up stuff with Lily earlier and I noticed he wasn't wearing any today and I don't want him to be afraid to be himself," Ginny sighed.

Albus nodded again, "I know, and me too, honestly. I think he's just a bit sensitive right now because of his whole dad thing. He kind of feels like he can't do anything knowing his own father doesn't approve," Albus explained quietly.

"That's why Draco kicked him out?" Harry asked. Albus nodded.

"Make up?" Ginny asked in disbelief.

"Draco said it was unnatural..." Albus replied sadly.

"Unnatural? Really? So it's natural on girls then? Make up isn't natural on anyone!" Ginny scoffed, "Isn't that kind of the point?"

"Yeah, true," Albus' lips slightly turned up into a smile.

Ginny smiled at her son, then reached over and ruffled his already messy hair, "You're a good friend, you know that?" Albus nodded yet again, his smile growing.

"Alright, well if you're sure, then get on upstairs," Harry waved him off and Albus stood up quickly.

He stopped halfway to the stairs and turned back around to face his parents, "If I had told you that Scorpius was gay, what would you have done?" he asked softly.

"Nothing. We were only curious," Ginny shrugged.

Albus let out a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding, then ran up the stairs.


	3. the city

"Is it going?"

"Yes, Al," Scorpius smiled, then turned to the camera, doing his YouTube introduction which was a simple 'Hey, guys!'

"I've been kind of M.I.A. the past couple of days and I apologize, but I've kind of had a rough week and wasn't feeling up to the whole social media thing," Scorpius explained and Albus barely nodded along.

"So to get back on track I went on Twitter and asked what kind of video you guys wanted and surprisingly," Scorpius said sarcastically, "you wanted me to do a video with my boyfriend here," he smiled widely and wrapped his arm around Albus' shoulder before pulling him into his chest and pressing a kiss to Al's temple.

"It's me!" Albus laughed, leaning against Scorpius willingly.

"And a lot of people said they wanted to see Al do my makeup..." Scorpius trailed off and Albus nodded enthusiastically, "And I thought that was a horrible idea, so of course we had to do it."

"Naturally," Albus replied shaking his head, "Scorpius doesn't have any faith in me but I know more about makeup than he thinks. I mean it's not like I hang out with you and Sheila every single day," Albus rolled his eyes and Scorpius shoved him slightly. Albus leaned back in and giggled slightly before quickly pecking Scorpius' lips.

"I felt like you'd be overwhelmed if you had to choose the right stuff from my entire makeup collection, so I put a bit of the basics together for you," Scorpius explained.

Albus gaped at him, then turned dramatically to the camera, "See what I mean? He doesn't think I can do it."

Scorpius laughed and kissed the side of his mouth as Al turned back to him, "Babe, when have you ever done makeup before?"

"Once Lily asked me which lipstick looked best with her dress," Albus answered. Scorpius snorted slightly and rested his forehead on Albus' shoulder.

"Merlin help me," he mumbled, sitting back up.

"Are we ready to begin your makeover sir?" Albus asked playfully.

"Yes, might I ask what kind of look you're going for today?" Scorpius teased.

"I was thinking a more natural look with maybe a pop of color," Albus had no idea what he was saying.

Scorpius was trying not to laugh or roll his eyes, "And what does that mean... for my face?"

"It means you are going to look amazing and you're going to want to wear this look every day of your life," Albus replied confidently.

Scorpius laughed, "Okay, make me look amazing," he quickly pecked Al's lips and Albus smiled against him.

They pulled away and Albus looked through the makeup in front of him, "The first thing is..." he lifted up a container and read the label, "foundation? I'm gonna guess foundation because, I mean foundation is like... the first thing... in anything - like a house. A house needs a foundation to build up on," Albus was doing hand motions to show what he meant.

Scorpius just laughed, leaning onto Albus for support, "Are you really comparing makeup to a house?"

Albus huffed, "Well I mean - there's layers and - and," he tried, still doing funny hand motions.

"Don't hurt yourself, Love," Scorpius smiled, kissing his cheek.

Albus pouted slightly, then turned back to the foundation he had grabbed. He popped the lid off and his face lit up a bit, "Oh! Is this the one that you put on your hand then put it on with a brush or something?" Albus asked, remembering from watching Scorpius do his makeup before.

Scorpius nodded, smiling again. Albus then proceeded to pump a bit too much of the foundation onto the top of his hand. Scorpius covered his mouth with his hand to hid his laugh.

"Look how different our skin tones are," Albus held his hand up for Scorpius to see, then to the camera.

"Aren't you like, a quarter Desi though?" Scorpius asked curiously.

"Yeah my grandfather was, but you're just a vampire," Albus replied seriously and Scorpius chuckled.

"Do vampires only drink blood from someone's neck, or could they like, bite someone's wrist and get blood from there?" Scorpius wondered.

"I don't know, you're the vampire, you tell me," Albus shrugged helplessly. He then searched for a brush to apply the foundation as Scorpius thought about the answer.

He applied the foundation quite evenly on Scorpius' face and he was impressed, "See, I told you I could do a good job," Albus smirked proudly.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "What's next then?"

Albus searched through the makeup and pulled out some bronzer, "Is this next? No... I don't think so because I feel like there's something else you put on first..." he glanced over to Scorpius for help.

"I'm not going to tell you, but I'll give you a hint. What would you do if you had a spot, or circles under your eyes?" Scorpius asked.

"But you don't have any spots," Albus commented, "or dark circles under your eyes," he added.

Scorpius nodded, "Yeah I do, and you've got to cover them up with something."

Albus groaned and dug around in the makeup some more, Scorpius just laughed softly as he watched his boyfriend.

"Is it concealer, because you conceal the spots?" Albus asked hopefully, holding up the container that had read 'concealer'.

Scorpius nodded, "I like how you explain what each one means as if to justify why you chose it."

"Are you making fun of me?" Albus asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"No! It's cute," Scorpius gave him a wide smile.

"Alright, so this one goes under your eyes," Albus mumbled to himself mostly as he leaned forward to put it on Scorpius. He drew smiley faces under his eyes and then turned to wink at the camera.

"What was that?" Scorpius giggled.

"I made smiley faces," Albus explained, leaning back.

"You dork," Scorpius teased, "You can put some around my nose, and on my forehead and chin too."

"Like all around your nose?" Albus questioned, gesturing all around Scorpius' nose.

"No, like on the sides," he pointed to the spots, not being able to hide his smile.

"Okay, that makes sense," Albus nodded and continued to apply a bit of concealer. He then haphazardly put some all over Scorpius' chin and forehead. Scorpius turned to the camera to roll his eyes, but then Albus nudged his head back to face him.

Albus then picked up a small brush, "Now I'm going to use this brush to blend it in 'cause it looks funny like that." Scorpius bit his lip, watching Albus' concentrated face as he patted at his face with the brush.

"You're gonna look so good," Albus mumbled quietly and Scorpius laughed, making sure not to move too much for Albus' sake.

"Now the next thing is bronzer," Albus picked the bronzer back up and popped off the lid, "This one is so big, I'm sure you have to use this big brush with it," Albus reached for the biggest brush Scorpius had.

"Now I know this one is to make your cheekbones look nice, but you already have really nice cheekbones," Albus commented, "So I'm only going to do a little bit."

He applied the bronzer and Scorpius watched Al's mouth as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth in concentration. As Albus let his arm drop, Scorpius pecked his lips, "You know you're adorable when you get focused like that."

"I'm not adorable," he furrowed his eyebrows, putting the bronzer back in the makeup bag.

"Yes you are," Scorpius argued, lightly patting Al's cheek.

Albus playfully glared at Scorpius, "Just let me do your makeup, Mister."

Albus pulled some blush out and explained that he was going to do the eyes now. Scorpius just gave the camera a funny look as his boyfriend opened the blush.

"So this was the pop of color I was talking about earlier," Albus explained as he applied the blush to Scorpius' eyelids. Scorpius bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

Albus then pulled out the mascara and did Scorpius' left eye just fine, then went on to do his other eye and got a smudge of black across his nose.

Albus just gasped sadly and dropped his face into his hands, "I have fucked up."

Scorpius laughed so hard, he fell backwards onto the bed, holding his stomach.

"I can't believe I've gotten this far and I fuck up on fucking mascara," he cried, shaking his head miserably. "I can't-I'm done," he set the mascara down and walked out of the room.

He stepped into Lily's room to find her watching Gossip Girl on Netflix, "Lily, come look at how bad I fucked up."

She gave him a confused look, but paused her show and followed him out of her room.

Lily laughed when she caught sight of Scorpius, "The mascara is actually really good, Al, but is that blusher on his eyes?" she asked.

"What..." he stared at her for a moment, "No, I used this, hold on," he found what he had used and handed it to her.

"Yeah, Al, this is blush," she laughed, "It goes on your cheeks," she explained.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Albus groaned, falling back onto the bed like Scorpius had.

The other two laughed and Lily climbed onto the bed so she was in between them in the camera shot, but not in Albus' way.

"It's okay though," Lily patted Albus' arm, "It looks decent enough, I'm sure it could pass," she assured.

"No, it looks horrible," Albus covered his face, "I'm so ashamed."

••••

"BOI HE 'BOUT TO DO IT!" Hugo yelled then there was a loud crashing sound from downstairs followed by Hugo and James cheering loudly.

Rose and Albus gave each other the 'oh-my-God-our-brothers-are-dorks' look and continued up the stairs to Albus' room where Scorpius was.

"Did you hear Hugo and James?" Rose asked, flopping onto her cousins bed, jostling Scorpius who was sitting against the headboard on his laptop, editing the makeup video he and Albus had filmed the day before.

"Yes," Scorpius laughed, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Do you think your mum and dad would mind if we had Jonah and Sheila over?" Rose wondered.

Albus shrugged, "Dunno, I could ask, but you guys just got here so..."

"True, maybe tomorrow?" Rose suggested. Albus just nodded, plugging his phone into his speaker.

"What d'you want?" he asked them both.

"Tøp," Rose said at the same time Scorpius said, "Lana."

"Okay, One Direction it is," Albus said as he turned on The Black Keys.

"Good, I love Lorde," Rose commented as if that's what was playing.

"Lorde's dead," Scorpius replied, "It's Iggy now."

Rose made gagging noises and the boys laughed.

••••

"So, Rose, Hugo, are you guys all settled in well?" Ginny asked politely.

"Yes, thank you Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry for letting us stay by the way," Rose smiled.

"Of course, it's not a problem, the more the merrier," Ginny replied happily.

"Yeah, it's kind of weird though," Hugo laughed, "I mean with like, everyone here - Scorpius I mean, I thought you didn't let them have boyfriends or girlfriends stay over?" Hugo wondered.

Scorpius choked on his food and Albus paled, "Hugo-" he hissed, giving his cousin a death glare.

"Hugo," Lily groaned, "What did I tell you? Scorpius and I weren't telling people," Lily made eye contact with Albus and at first he was confused, then he silently thanked her and she barley nodded.

"Wait, you and Scorpius are dating?" Ginny asked, obviously surprised.

Lily nodded sheepishly, "I didn't want to tell you because he needed somewhere to stay, and I knew you wouldn't want him to stay here if you had known," she looked down at her plate.

"Wait, I thought-" Rose slapped a hand over Hugo's mouth before her brother could say anything else.

"Albus hasn't told Harry and Ginny that he's gay, so you need to shut your goddamn mouth," she hissed in his ear.

His cheeks turned scarlet and he mumbled an apology, ducking his head down to push his food around his plate.

"You have to let him stay though, he can't go back the Manor. It's not like we've done anything. He's stayed in his room or Albus' room every night, plus were not even that far in our relationship... I'm pretty sure nothing inappropriate will happen any time soon, mum," Lily went on.

Ginny sighed and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, "Love, we'll have to discuss this, but for now let's just finish dinner, yeah?"

Everyone mumbled an agreement and went back to their meals. Eventually the conversation started flowing again and it wasn't awkward.

"Mum, can Scorpius, Rose and I walk into town after dinner?" Albus asked.

"Sure, as long as you're back before ten," Ginny nodded.

"Thanks," Albus replied happily.

"Can I go with?" Lily asked hopefully.

Harry and Ginny exchanged brief glances, talking with their eyes, "No, sorry pal, I need your help with something," Harry said and Lily frowned.

••••

"Mum! We're leaving!" Albus called as Ginny was stepping around the corner to the front walkway.

"Babe, tie my shoe," Scorpius held his foot out to Albus.

"Babe..." Albus whined, looking up at Scorpius with slight puppy dog eyes.

"Babe," Scorpius teased and Albus sighed, giving in. He then kneeled down to tie Scorpius' shoe like asked.

Ginny stepped away before any of the three could have noticed her and as she walked away she heard Rose say, "Come on you Lovebirds," and then the door shut.

"What's up?" Harry asked, running into Ginny as he left the kitchen and noticed her confused face.

"Is calling your friend 'babe' a normal thing guys do?" she wondered.

Harry barely even thought about it, "No, I don't think so. At least I've never heard a guy call his friend babe, I've heard girl say that though. Why?"

"Scorpius just called Albus babe," Ginny explained shortly, searching her husbands face for a reaction.

He seemed to think for a moment, "I'm sure it didn't mean anything, or it was a joke," he shrugged.

"But then Rose called them 'Lovebirds,'" Ginny added.

"Maybe that was a joke too?" Harry tried.

Ginny shrugged, "I was just headed to talk with Lily about some rules with Scorpius staying over and all. Should I bring it up?"

"Thats up to you," Harry replied walking away, leaving Ginny on her own.

••••

The air was cool, and the stars hadn't yet poked through the dark blue sky. Albus and Scorpius gently swung their intertwined hands between them while Rose strolled alongside Scorpius, occasionally checking her phone for Pokémon.

"Anything good?" Scorpius asked, even though he knew she'd tell them if there was anything other than a Rattata, or Pidgey nearby.

"No, but the gym up ahead is taken by someone on Mystic," she smiled.

"Good," Albus replied. It was a trend that if you were in Ravenclaw you chose Team Mysitc. If you were a Gryffindor you chose Valor, and Hufflepuff's were on Instinct. Slytherin was a free-for-all, though they often got upset that there wasn't a fourth, green version.

Hogsmead had a gym and about four Pokéstops (one that could be reached from inside Hogwarts thankfully) that had been placed in for only wizards to see. On Hogsmead weekends everyone would battle at the gym and stock back up on Pokéballs. Hogsmead was more crowded on these days than ever before just for that reason. People would put on their house colors (Slytherins used charms) to show their teams. Several fist fights have even had to be broken up due to two teams fighting.

The three continued on towards the shops and to their surprise, Jonah was sitting on the bench outside of the shop that was the location of the gym.

Scorpius pulled out his phone and quickly went on Snapchat and zoomed in and took a picture of Jonah hunched over his phone and sent it to him.

Albus let go of Scorpius' hand and shouted, "HEY!" making Jonah's head shoot up. His face lit up and he jumped from his seat.

"Heyyyy!" Both Jonah and Albus cheered, pointing at each other with finger guns as they walked closer to each other. Scorpius videoed it and put it on his Snapchat Story with with caption 'when u see ur friend in public'.

"What are you doing here?" Albus asked.

"I came to take over this gym, but that guy-" he pointed to a boy around Lily's age, hunched over his phone across the street, "keeps destroying my attempts," Jonah explained.

"Fight him," Scorpius replied with a serious face just as Albus habitually slipped his hand back in Scorpius'.

"I'll write that on my To Do list," Jonah responded as the group started walking down the street again.

"Hey, we should get ice cream," Rose pointed to the small ice cream shop in front of them.

"I didn't bring any money," Scorpius sighed.

"I got you fam," Jonah winked.

"No, I'll pay for him," Albus said.

"No, I got it, it's fine," Jonah insisted.

"No, I'll pay! He's my boyfriend," Albus shot back sternly.

"Just let Al pay, Jonah," Scorpius replied, bitting back a laugh.

Jonah gasped, "Why can't I pay?"

"'Cause if Albus pays I won't have to pay him back," Scorpius smirked. They had made a deal that they wouldn't ever have to pay the other back because they usually balanced each other out with paying for each other.

"Okay, just for that, I'm going to make you pay me back," Albus playfully shoved him.

As they sat with their ice creams, Rose dared Scorpius to shove as much of it as he could into his mouth.

"I bet you can't get half," Jonah commented, licking his own chocolate-vanilla twist cone.

"Try me, bitch," Scorpius retaliated.

Rose whipped her phone to Snapchat a video of him deepthroating the cone. He had practically the whole thing in his mouth and Rose zoomed in on Albus' face who was sat across from Scorpius at the table. Albus was biting his lip and staring intently at Scorpius, and didn't even notice Rose filming him until the last second when he looked up and laughed.

She posted it to her story and Scorpius gagged, pulling the ice cream from his mouth.

"Do you have a gag reflex?" Jonah asked in astonishment.

"I only gagged because I started laughing and I inhaled ice cream," Scorpius laughed, wiping his face with a rough napkin.

"Albus looked so turned on!" Rose laughed, resting her head on the table being unable to contain her laughter.

"Shut it," Albus blushed, hiding behind his vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.

Rose continued to Snapchat almost everything, Jonah accidentally smashing his face into his ice cream. Albus practically falling over the table to get a lick of Scorpius' as the latter held it out of his reach.

After they finished their ice creams, the four of them walked down the street to the park and sat up on the hill, watching the sun fade away across the horizon.

Jonah laid down on the hill so his head was facing towards the bottom, "If you look at the sky this way, you can see the curve of the Earth," he commented.

So they all laid down, copying his position and admiring the clouds and and stars that had just started peaking out.

"Hey Jonah, guess what?"

"Hmm?" Jonah hummed.

"I'm dating Lily," Scorpius replied, biting back a smile, though Jonah couldn't see it in the dark anyways.

"What?!" Jonah spluttered, bolting upright, "Lily, as in Albus' sister, Lily?!"

Scorpius chuckled, "Yup."

Rose snorted and Albus rolled his eyes. The more he thought about it, the more he didn't like it. He decided not to think about it. It was better than his parents knowing about him and Scorpius though...

"What the fuck? Why? I'm so confused-"

"He's fake dating her because Hugo, being the oblivious Hufflepuff he is, nearly outed the boys. Lily saved their arses," Rose explained.

Jonah sighed, "Is it worth all the fuss?"

"I'm not ready," Albus snapped.

Jonah held his hands up in defense, "Sorry, I just - I just figured..."

"Sorry," Albus apologized, "I didn't mean to snap, I'm just not ready to come out. And after Scorp's dad reacted so negatively, I'd rather not for a while," he explained.

"Sorry mate, I get it," Jonah nodded.

"But you don't," Scorpius chuckled sarcastically, shaking his head and laying back down on the grass. He didn't want to get into an argument. No, that was the last thing he wanted to do. He just wanted Jonah to be aware that he didn't know what it felt like to be banished by your own father and despised by a good majority of your community. Sure, he had the Internet and their squad, and the nicer people at school, but the Wizarding World at large was still homophobic with a traditional mindset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I picture scorbus kissing on camera as much as sebasdion (Sebb Argo + DionYorkie on YouTube) you should check them out they're super cute


	4. talk!

"The fam's out, so we're doing a Live Show," Albus explained to the camera as Scorpius sat down next to him. Albus was laid across the bed on his stomach, Scorpius' laptop in front of him.

"We haven't done one in ages," Scorpius commented, watching as more and more people started watching, "Did you tweet about it?"

"No, can you for me?" Albus handed Scorpius his phone, and Scorpius tweeted from both of their accounts about it. Not long after even more people started watching them. Al was making funny faces into the camera while Scorpius was preoccupied by their phones and tweeting.

"You guys should ask some questions," Albus said, reading through the conversation which was just people saying 'hi.'

"'Why hasn't Scorpius uploaded a video in a while?'" Albus read out loud.

Scorpius sighed, tossing Al's phone down onto the duvet, "I have made a video, but I've gotten half way through editing it and I'm not sure when it will be up. I've had a lot of personal issues...? And just generally haven't been in the mood to go on social media," he admitted. "I might make a video about why later, should I?" he asked Albus.

Albus shrugged, "Only if you want to, I'd say it's a bit personal, but people have shared worse. Plus it might be good for other people, and you even... like for advice and stuff?"

Scorpius thought for a moment, "Yeah, yeah I might, we'll see how I feel about it in the next couple weeks..." Albus, in his awkward position compared to Scorpius', leaned over to press a quick kiss to the top of Scorpius' hand that was resting on the blonde's knee.

"Danny said, 'Ask Scorpius to marry you,'" Albus blushed and buried his face in his fluffy white duvet for a moment, "Scorpius will you marry me?"

"Yes," Scorpius giggled, leaning down and pressing his lips to Albus'. Albus rolled onto his back and Scorpius climbed on top of him, both smiling like idiots as they kissed softly.

"But we can't tell our parents," Albus said, slinking his arms around Scorpius' shoulders.

"True, we have to elope behind their backs, then pretend to be single for the rest of our lives," Scorpius nodded, obviously joking.

"And we'll be buddy, bro pals that just love each other platonically and live in the same house and just act like an old married couple," Albus added.

"We already kind of do act like an old married couple," Scorpius pointed out.

"That's what Sheila says," Albus chuckled.

Scorpius smiled and pecked Albus' lips quickly before sitting back up, "I'm gonna take my makeup off real quick," he explained, climbing off the the bed.

There was a knock on the door and Albus turned around to see who it was. Rose pushed it open holding two bowls of popcorn.

"I brought the goods," she announced, shutting the door behind her with her food. "This one's for you two, and this is mine," she gave the smaller bowl to Albus and sat the bigger one in her lap after she sat down in Scorpius' previous position.

"Thanks," Albus said sarcastically, taking a handful of popcorn.

"Angie asked, 'Since you're gay, do you listen to Lady Gaga?'" Albus read out loud, laughing, "Obviously," he added sarcastically. "Honestly I think I only know like one song of hers," Albus admitted.

"You know more than that," Rose insisted, "There's Applause..." she trailed off, not being able to name anymore.

"Exactly," Albus laughed.

"No, no, you know Paparazzi, Poker Face, and the one that goes 'it doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H. I. M,'" Scorpius commented as he cleaned off his face.

"What?" Albus laughed.

"You know that one?!" Scorpius tried, frustrated with himself for not being able to remember the title. He looked in the comments and people were saying 'Born This Way.'

"Born This Way! Ha! I knew it was a song," Scorpius cheered.

Albus laughed and rolled his eyes, "You're a dork, I love you."

"I love you too," Scorpius smiled and Albus pecked his lips.

"She wore a meat dress once, didn't she?" Albus asked, still in close proximity with Scorpius.

"Fashion icon," Scorpius laughed, pulling away from Albus as the latter shoved him.

"'What're your favorite shows atm?' asked Gabby," Rose read, "Well mine is currently Downton Abbey."

"Mine is Arrested Development," Albus answered.

"My all time favorite is Sherlock," Scorpius replied, "Season six is supposed to come out soon, and I'm excited because it's been nearly three years since season five."

"We watch American Horror Story together though," Albus added, "It's great."

"Yeah, but you guys are way ahead of me and need to stop," Rose complained.

"You need to watch it with us then," Scorpius replied sassily.

"'Does boarding school suck ass like people say?' Jake asked," Scorpius read, "No, I actually enjoy school..."

"That's 'cause you're a fucking nerd," Albus teased, nuzzling into Scorpius' shoulder.

"We're all nerds," Rose corrected, "but no boarding school isn't too horrible, especially when you've got your friends and cousins there to make it bearable. I'd guess the workload is the same as a regular school, so that's not bad," Rose shrugged.

'Cousins??!?' someone wrote in the chat.

"Yeah, didn't you know Rose and I are cousins? My brother and sister, and her brother both go to our school, plus our seven other cousins have gone there, although all of them have already graduated," Albus explained.

"I have no cousins," Scorpius spoke, "the closest thing I have to a cousin is Al's god brother, Teddy. His grandmother is my grandmothers sister," he added.

"That's so confusing, I hate the Black family," Rose groaned.

"What the-that's so rude," Scorpius gasped, "We could all kill you."

"You all are dead," Rose pointed out.

"I'm gonna go get my grandmother, Andromeda and Teddy and we're gonna fight you right here, right now," Scorpius said matter-of-factly.

"Not your dad?" Rose asked carelessly.

Scorpius gave her a glare and Albus shoved her off the bed.

"Do you think my dad would fight on behalf of the Black family? Because on one hand there's Sirius, Regulus, Narcissa, and Andromeda, but on the other hand there's your dad, and Bellatrix who killed Sirius," Albus wondered aloud as Rose climbed back up on the bed.

"He might honestly, your dad's a pretty forgiving guy. Look at you for example, you're named after two guys who fucked him up pretty badly," Rose commented.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Albus nodded.

"I'm always right," she smirked and Albus shoved her off the bed again.

••••

"Okay, but I have the best say considering I've gone through all the years. Seventh year is the best; you're the top dogs, and even if a fifth year prefect catches you doing something, you still have the slight upper hand being older and more scary," James said confidently from his spot where he was lounging across the couch.

"Fear beats all?" Hugo questioned casually.

"Exactly," James replied.

"Personally," Rose interjected, "I think sixth year is the best because you're practically top dogs, and you don't have to worry about O.W.L.s anymore, and you don't have to worry about N.E.W.T.s yet. Win, win, win."

"No, no, no, let's be real, first year was the best: you had literally no responsibility," Lily piped up.

"True, but when you're first year, everyone above you is terrifying," Scorpius commented from his spot on the couch with Albus' legs draped across his lap, "Like they're going to squash you."

"You've just got to assert dominance at a young age," Hugo chuckled.

"You, a tiny Hufflepuff, asserting dominance at age eleven?" Albus chuckled.

"Yes!" Hugo laughed, "I can be very intimidating if I want!" He brought his fists up, pretending to punch the air.

They all laughed.

"Fifth year was the worst though," Albus said, and before he could continue, Scorpius huffed.

"But that was when we got together! How was that the worst?" He mocked offense.

"It wasn't bad because of that! I promise!" Albus laughed, squeezing Scorpius' arm assuringly, "It sucked 'cause that's when everyone started fucking each other."

"Ugh, that's what I have to look forward to next year?" Lily groaned.

"Yeah, but don't worry Lils, you don't have to do anything that you don't want to," Hugo assured.

"To be honest, I feel like guys are expected to more than girls," Rose chimed in.

"True," James nodded, "I mean what teenage guy hasn't had sex?"

Hugo laughed, "True!"

Scorpius chuckled along awkwardly, turning away to fiddle with his hands.

"After you have sex the first time it's like never want to stop having sex," Hugo added.

Rose's jaw dropped, "Hugo!" she gasped, slapping his arm very hard. He just laughed and held up his hands in defense.

"You've had sex?" James asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, who do you think I am? I'm like some kind if sex God! The ladies love me!" Hugo replied, only being half sarcastic. 

"When did you loose your virginity, James?" Rose asked curiously with a teasing tone.

"Fourth year actually," James smirked, "It was with a fifth year called Maya, and it was at a Gryffindor party at the end of the year."

"Was it any good?" Albus asked.

"I mean it was my first time, what would you expect? Some life changing moment? It was bad and awkward, and I never talked to her again," James shrugged.

Scorpius awkwardly shifted next to Albus, Was your first time always bad and awkward? He squirmed uncomfortably. Albus glanced at him, asking, 'Are you okay?' without actually saying anything. Scorpius nodded, reading his boyfriend.

"What was your first time like?" James fired back at Rose.

She shrugged, "Remember when I dated Ian last year? Well it was with him and it wasn't horrible."

"Awh, I remember Ian, everyone thought you two were so cute! Why'd you guys break up?" Lily asked curiously.

"Well we had sex a couple times, then he claimed I was no good, and broke up with me," she shrugged, "I think he was just tired of me and needed an excuse."

"That's rubbish, I hate when guys treat girls like that," James shook his head disappointedly.

Scorpius frowned, imagining Albus leaving him because he was bad in bed.

The conversation carried on, mostly just them talking shit, but James' comment stuck in the back of Scorpius' mind. What teenage boy hasn't had sex?

Halfway through James singing 'Hoggy Warty Hogwarts', there was a knock on the door. Lily jumped up to get it and James threw the nearest pillow at her, shouting after her that she was rude for interrupting his beautiful performance.

"To be fair," Scorpius chuckled, "It did suck pretty bad." Scorpius also got a pillow chucked at him.

Lily eventually came running back in, her face showing worry, "It's your mum, Scorpius."

Scorpius' face fell halfway through his laugh, "Really?" he asked, a hint of hopefulness hidden.

Lily nodded. Albus glanced at his boyfriend, "Do you want me to go tell her to go away?" he offered.

Scorpius shook his head, "No, I-I want to see why she's here," he replied shakily, gently pushing Albus' legs off his lap to stand up. Albus stood up after him and followed him to the door.

"Mum," Scorpius greeted hesitantly.

"Scorpius," she sighed, quickly pulling him into a hug. Scorpius hugged her back just as tightly as she was hugging him. "I've missed you so much," she cried.

"I've missed you too," he said softly, just now realizing how much he actually did miss her. He hadn't seen her since last August.

They pulled apart, "What are you doing here?" Scorpius asked.

"I want you to come home, your father and I both miss you dearly," she replied, brushing her hand on his cheek.

Scorpius retaliated at the mention of his father. "Father doesn't want me there. I can't go home."

Astoria hesitated a moment, maybe a moment too long. "He-he does want you home. It's not the same without you. You're our son, we need you." Tears were falling down her face and Scorpius couldn't bear it.

"I don't-I can't go home until he apologizes," Scorpius shook his head, taking a step backwards towards the door. "I don't feel safe, or-or free to be myself."

"Scorpius, I don't care that you're gay, and your father, he-he just needs time to get used to it," she tried.

Scorpius shook his head, turning away, "Mother, I can't. I just can't. Not now, I'm not ready. It's barely been a week."

"You can't hide out at the Potter's forever, young man," Astoria replied.

"The Potter's care about me, and treat me like a normal human being. I feel safe to express myself. They let me paint my nails," he held up his sparkly red nails, "and they let me voice my opinions even if they don't agree," his eyebrows were furrowed, thinking about his father and all the times his views were shot down.

Astoria had a deep frown across her face, "Scorpius, I've talked to your father, he's willing to try to understand."

"I need to hear that from him," Scorpius replied.

"Please come home," Astoria begged, tears still wetting her pale cheeks.

Scorpius bit his lip to try and stop the tears, he squared his shoulders and shook his head. It wasn't until that moment that he realized he had surpassed his mother in height. It was such a random thing but it pushed Scorpius over the edge. "I'm sorry mother, but I just can't and I need you to respect my decision. I'm seventeen now and I can make my own choices, and if I feel more comfortable elsewhere, you have to understand."

"I won't let your father say anything, I swear," she grabbed his hand, pleading with her eyes.

"I don't want the silent treatment from him," Scorpius slipped his hand out of his mums grip.

She looked defeated, "Can I at least talk to Mr. and Mrs. Potter then?" she asked, glancing over Scorpius' shoulder at Albus who was silently watching. He had so much to say, but knew that it wasn't his place to speak up right now.

"They're not home right now," Scorpius replied flatly.

"Will they be home sometime soon?" She asked hopefully.

Albus shrugged, "They're out getting us pizza, so I don't know when they'll be back."

Her defeated stance returned and she sighed, "Alright. I'll leave you be," she took a step away. "Just know you're always welcome home, Scorpius."

Scorpius nodded, "Goodbye mum, I love you."

"I love you too, Darling," she then turned around and walked away.

Scorpius turned around and stepped back inside. Albus shut the door behind him and Scorpius suddenly broke down.

Albus quickly wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and Scorpius gripped his shirt and cried into Al's shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay," Albus soothed.

"I'm a fucking idiot, I fucked up," Scorpius choked, his voice being muffled by Albus' shirt.

"No you're not, don't say that. You did nothing wrong," Albus tried.

"If it wasn't for me, my mother wouldn't be crying. I've never seen my mother cry before, and it was all because of me," Scorpius was still crying himself.

"If you don't feel comfortable, then she can't force you to go home," Albus brushed blonde strands of hair off of Scorpius' forehead.

Albus let Scorpius cry it out until he was just sniffling into Al's shoulder. "She's right though," Scorpius said quietly, "I can't hide here forever..."

••••

Everyone was chilling in the living room, stuffed with pizza, Rose, Lily and James were lounging on the floor watching an old show called Stranger Things, Hugo was concentrated on a crossword puzzle in yesterday's paper, Ginny was reading a book and Harry was reading that days Prophet, while Albus was pressed up next to Scorpius on the latter's laptop switching between Twitter and Tumblr.

Suddenly Scorpius spoke up, "There's something I have to tell you," he announced rather hesitantly.

Harry and Ginny looked up from their reading and James politely stopped his show.

Albus gave his boyfriend a confused look but didn't say anything, not sure where he was going.

"Come on then," James prompted.

"I'm gay," he blurted.

"Fuck, Scorpius-" Albus was shocked, that wasn't what he thought he was going to say at all.

"Tell me something I don't know!" James hollered, turning his show back on. Lily went on to sing the Selena Gomez song to herself as she too turned back to the show.

"Albus said you weren't," Harry chuckled.

"But we kind of assumed," Ginny finished, "I'm glad you told us though," she smiled lovingly and reached over to squeeze his hand.

"Y-you're okay with it?" Scorpius stuttered.

"Well, of course! You're still Scorpius, aren't you? We'll love you no matter what," Ginny assured, still gripping his hand.

Scorpius' free hand went to his mouth as he tried not to cry.

"Oh, Scorp," Albus chuckled softly, noticing that he was about to cry. Albus adjusted his position so he could wrap his arms around the blonde boy easier.

"Don't cry, love," Ginny chuckled just like Albus had.

"I'm sorry," he wiped his eyes, Albus still wrapped around him tightly. "It's just that's why my father kicked me out, a-and I guess I expected the worst..." Scorpius explained, embracing the sudden warmth he felt in his heart from their love.

"Draco kicked you out because you're gay? What a absolute prick," Harry shook his head in disbelief, "You can't control who you're attracted to."

"Wait, so what about the whole Lily thing?" Ginny suddenly remembered.

"Oh, that - that was a coverup... we never really dated..." Scorpius explained awkwardly.

"He's not my type anyways, sorry Scorpius," Lily commented from the floor.

Scorpius chuckled, "It's okay, my type is boys anyways." Everyone else laughed along.

"You want to tell them what happened today?" Albus asked quietly as he detached himself from Scorpius so they weren't too obvious.

"Oh... Yeah, today my mother stopped by while you were gone," Scorpius informed.

"Really? What'd she want?" Ginny asked.

"She wanted me to come back home, but I told her I couldn't until my father apologized or-or said he'd change..." he explained.

Ginny nodded understandingly, "That's alright. You did the right thing. I've said it before but you're welcome here for as long as you need."

"Thank you," Scorpius' voice shook a little bit. Albus rested his head on Scorpius' shoulder and slipped his hand into Scorpius' under the blanket that had been thrown over Albus' lap and one of Scorpius' legs.

"Of course," Harry reached over and ruffled his blonde hair affectionately.


	5. sex

"Don't stay up too late now," Ginny called down the hall as everyone was starting to get ready for bed.

"We know," James, Albus, Rose, and Lily all chimed at the same time.

"That was weird," Hugo chuckled as he slipped into the bathroom across the hall from James' room.

Scorpius gripped Albus' sleeve and pulled the black haired boy into his room and shut the door behind them.

Scorpius quickly pressed Albus up against the door and kissed him. Albus reacted quickly, it wasn't like he wasn't used to getting kisses.

The kissing escalated and they stumbled over to Albus' bed. Just as Albus was falling backwards onto the mattress, Scorpius cast a silencing spell around them, and a spell to lock the door.

Scorpius then kneeled onto the bed where Albus was sat. They kissed again, like they were tasting each other for the first time.

"I want you," Scorpius breathed, pulling Albus close to him so they were practically breathing in the same air.

Albus connected their lips in a brief, but heated kiss. Scorpius' lips still tasted slightly like salty tears (and a bit of pizza, it was quite a mixture.) "Is this because of what James said earlier?" he asked.

"No-well yes, kind of," Scorpius replied, still holding Al's face close to his.

"You know you don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with," Albus sighed, pushing Scorpius' blonde fringe out of his eyes.

"No, that's the thing, I am comfortable and I'm ready, but my father had always said to wait till marriage," Scorpius explained.

"And you know I'm willing to wait," Albus said, gently running his thumb over Scorpius' soft cheek.

Scorpius leaned into his touch, "I know and I love that you would, but I don't want to listen to my fathers traditionalist shit anymore."

"Okay, so-so you want to?" Albus asked hesitantly.

"Yes, yes, I want to so badly," Scorpius moaned, pushing Albus onto his back and kissing him. There was a general fumbling as they made out, working each other up and tugging at each other's clothes. There wasn't a rush to it though, it was as if they wanted to take the time to get to know the other before tearing into their innocence.

"How do you want to do this? Since it's your first time I'll let you choose," Albus pulled back, breathing heavily.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Scorpius' grey eyes darted around Albus' face.

"Do you want to top or bottom?" Albus asked bluntly.

Scorpius' cheeks flushed slightly, "I, er-" he sat back, straddling Al's hips, "I don't know like, anything about this," he admitted, mumbling as he let his hands fall down Al's still clothed chest.

Albus chuckled softly, sitting up to peck Scorpius' lips quickly. Scorpius turned even more red hearing Albus laugh at him, "It's okay, Love," Albus pushed a strand of hair behind Scorpius' ear that only fell right back in front of his face. "Basically, do you want me to fuck you, or do you want to fuck me?" he said simply.

If it was even possible, Scorpius' cheeks turned even more red and he shook his head, burying his face into the crook of Albus' neck. Albus laughed softly again, "Either way I'll guide you through it and help you," he assured, wrapping his arms around Scorpius.

"I want you to-to..." Scorpius mumbled.

"You want me to top?" Albus finished.

"Does that mean..."

"Yeah," Albus nodded, "get comfortable then. You can either lay on your stomach or back."

"Does it matter?" Scorpius asked, getting a bit nervous.

Albus shook his head, "No, whatever you want. Though it is nice to look at your face," he smiled, pecking Scorpius' lips again.

Scorpius smiled against his boyfriends lips, then moved to lay down where Albus previously was. Albus then climbed over him, locking their lips again, letting some of Scorpius' nerves settle. Scorpius' pushed his fingers through Albus' messy hair, while Albus pushed his up Scorpius' shirt.

Scorpius sat up slightly so Albus could pull the shirt off, then reconnected their lips the moment the shirt was out of the way.

Between snogging they eventually got all their clothes off, forgotten on the floor or hanging off the bed.

This was the first time they had both been completely naked in front of each other. Sure they'd shared a few blowjobs, or handjobs, and there was always the shirtless make out session, but they'd never gone this far.

"What are you staring at?" Scorpius mumbled, throwing an arm over his face in attempt to hide the aroused blush that crept from his cheeks, down his neck, to his chest.

"How beautiful you are," Albus replied cheekily, leaning back down over him to kiss his collarbone.

"Stop," Scorpius giggled.

"No," Albus replied, not being able to wipe the smile away, "'cause I love you," he left a trail of kisses up his neck and jaw to Scorpius' mouth.

"I love you too," Scorpius sighed, lightly grabbing Al's back and letting his fingertips trail down.

Albus shivered slightly at the touch, trailing his kisses back down Scorpius' neck where he stopped to bite and suck at the sensitive skin there.

Scorpius let out a gasp and his hand lightly pushed at Albus' shoulder, making him back away.

"What? Did I hurt you? Do you not want me to..." Albus frantically searched his boyfriends face.

"No, no, it's okay, sorry. It just shocked me a bit, I'm fine," Scorpius assured, pulling Albus back in. He was acting more jumpy than usual. Albus wondered if he felt pressured to have sex with him, so he felt more nervous. Usually Scorpius was completely fine with hickeys...

Albus was hesitant, but finished off the love bite until he knew it would leave a dark mark on his pale skin for a couple days.

He then kissed a path across Scorpius' chest, making Scorpius squirm underneath him as he swirled his tongue around, and very lightly brought his nipple between his teeth until it was perky and Scorpius was whining and withering beneath him.

Albus looked up at Scorpius through his eyelashes, "Do you like that?"

Scorpius nodded furiously, the blush across his chest and up his neck still very prominent. He was now glowing in a sheer layer of sweat and Albus could feel Scorpius' hard on pressed up against his own abdomen.

Albus smirked, more than pleased with the reaction from Scorpius. He kissed Scorpius, their breath mixing, and their tongues exploring each other. Scorpius' hands tugging at Albus' hair slightly, making him moan into Scorpius' mouth.

"I've got to prepare you now, okay?" Albus whispered, only because they were so close in proximity.

"Wha-what does that mean?" Scorpius asked, his chest rising and falling with his heavy breathing.

"It's much more awkward to explain it, than it is to do it," Albus let out a breathy laugh, sitting back ever so slightly.

"Sorry," Scorpius mumbled, covering his face with his hands to hide his embarrassment.

"No, no, it's fine, Love," Albus kissed his chin, "Let's just say, you don't want me to go in without stretching you out..."

"Oh... Oh!" Scorpius suddenly realized, the blush creeping back up to his cheeks.

Albus giggled, "Yeah," he pecked Scorpius' nose before reaching over to the night stand and grabbing his wand. He cast a quick lubricating spell on his fingers and set the wand back down.

Albus adjusted their position so Scorpius' legs were resting around his hips. "Are you okay?" Albus asked carefully, lightly running his free hand up Scorpius' thigh.

Scorpius nodded, "Go ahead."

Albus gave him an assuring smile and lightly traced his rim with his lubed finger. Scorpius gasped at the coldness and let out a shuddering breath. "I'm going to push my finger in, are you sure you're okay?"

Scorpius' breathing was erratic and his fists were white from griping the sheets so tight, "I'm f-fine," Scorpius' voice shook, betraying him.

"Babe," Albus leaned forward, using his free hand to hold one of Scorpius' trembling one's. He wiped his fingers off on the sheets quickly. He leaned in and gently kissed Scorpius, softly running his hands through the blonde's hair in order to comfort him.

"I'm nervous," Scorpius admitted quietly.

"I know, and it's going to be okay," Albus assured, locking eyes with Scorpius to show that he meant it. "What can I do to put you at ease? It'll be so much better if you're relaxed."

"Just-just hold my hand," Scorpius felt stupid, but he just wanted to feel Albus' reassurance.

Albus smiled and softly pressed his lips against Scorpius', "Of course, babe." He intertwined their fingers together, rubbing the back of Scorpius' hand with his thumb in comfort.

Scorpius evened out his breathing, "Okay, I'm ready now."

"Are you sure? We don't have to do this... I don't want you to feel pressured..." Albus' hesitation was more than obvious and Scorpius couldn't help but smile, he was so glad he had such a caring boyfriend.

For now, a nagging voice in the back of his mind muttered. He ignored it.

••••

"I want to do that for the rest of our lives," Scorpius said through long, heavy breaths.

Albus laughed airily, leaning over Scorpius to bury his face in his boyfriends neck, "You're precious Scorpius, I love you so much."

Scorpius sighed softly, "I love you too."

Before Albus could drift off to sleep, he sat up and stretched tiredly, reaching for his wand in the process. "Tergeo," he muttered, pointing at their sticky sheets.

Albus then climbed off of the bed, stepping over their scattered clothing until he found his pants and slipped out the door.

Scorpius' stomach lurched slightly, he just left.  
He's going to break up with you now because you were so horrible in bed, that nagging voice chimed.

Scorpius rolled over, then back over trying to shake that uncomfortable, nagging feeling in his stomach, until he heard the door creak open.

Albus quietly climbed back into bed and cuddled up to Scorpius who was still buzzing and radiating heat from their previous activity.

"Sorry, had to piss," Albus yawned.

"It's alright," Scorpius mumbled into the smaller boys hair, his anxiety about Albus leaving him dimming.

The next morning Scorpius woke up to an empty bed. His anxiety from the night before came flooding back and he buried his face into Albus' pillow (which smelled like him.)

Albus just left you, he's gotten a shag and now he's breaking up with you. He got what he wanted and now he's done.

Meanwhile, Albus was just stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and secured it around his hips before drying his hair with another. He then used that towel to wipe down the fogged up mirror.

His muscles had that morning after glow feeling and he smiled at himself in the mirror like a lovesick fool.

There hadn't been roses and scented candles, but it still was very meaningful. At least to him. He was glad Scorpius was comfortable with him and open about how he felt. That was a good way to be in a relationship. Right? Yes definitely.

He glanced down at the ground for clothes to change into, then realized he'd forgotten to grab some on the way out in fear of waking Scorpius. He knew at least three other people were awake, he was going to have to make a run for it to his room...

He pushed the door open and of course Lily was right there. She squealed and covered her eyes, "Sorry!"

Albus groaned and dashed past her, holding onto his towel as tight as he could as he ran back to his room.

"Oh," he heard Scorpius squeak as he closed his bedroom door and dropped the towel as he walked to his wardrobe.

"Like the view?" Albus teased, turning over his shoulder to wink at his boyfriend as he pulled some sweats and a shirt out for himself.

"Very much, actually," Albus could hear the smirk in Scorpius' voice and chuckled.

Once he was dressed, Albus climbed back into bed, kissing Scorpius full on the mouth.

"How do you feel?"

"Good, a tad sore, but good," Scorpius replied and Albus smiled.

"Good," he kissed the blonde again.

They shared a few soft kisses before Scorpius spoke up, "I thought you'd left me," he admitted.

"Left you?" Albus questioned.

"Yeah... like left 'cause I was so bad..." Scorpius' cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

"Scorpius," Albus giggled, "I'd never leave you, I promise, not for anything as stupid as that. And for the record, you were amazing, and it was amazing. Best sex I've had in a while," Albus smiled, making sure not to break eye contact with Scorp.

"Hopefully that's the only sex you've had in a while," Scorpius poked his chest.

"What made you think I'd leave you because of sex?" Albus wondered after rolling his eyes at Scorpius' comment.

"Well, James said his first time was a one night stand, and Rose said Ian got tired of her and said she wasn't any good... I don't know, I just felt like you might not have wanted to be with me afterwards..." Scorpius mumbled sheepishly.

"Babe," Albus cupped Scorpius cheek, kissing him, "I promise I won't leave you, no matter what."

••••

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHEILA!" Scorpius cheered as he, Albus, Rose, and Hugo stepped outside into her backyard where her birthday was being held.

She cheered loudly and ran at Scorpius, wrapping him in a hug, "Thank you!" she kissed his cheek quickly, the proceeded to hug Albus and Rose. "Hugo! You came," she pinched his cheeks and ruffled his crazy curly hair.

Hugo's cheeks were slightly red from being pinched, and embarrassed, "I didn't get you a gift though, 'cause you didn't come to my birthday," he sassed.

She swatted him, "I gave you a card!"

"That blew up with pink glitter," he gave her a pointed, but playful look.

The other three were all close with Albus' and Rose's siblings because they were practically family them selves.

The party wasn't too big, but it was quite extravagant. All Sheila's decorations were aesthetically pleasing, and everyone was dressed nicely.

Jonah had brought his girlfriend and wasn't hanging around the others as much as he usually would and that kind of bothered Sheila (in his defense, Sheila did approve of him bringing Caroline...)

"I shouldn't have let him bring her," Sheila huffed, turning her back to face Jonah and Caroline who were sitting on the bench swing a few yards away. Her sparkling water sloshed in her thin champagne glass as a frown creased her forehead.

"I do kinda wish he'd come over and hang out with us," Albus shrugged, leaning into Scorpius slightly and taking a sip of his own sparkling water.

"Leave him be," Rose waved her hand dismissively, "They're still in the honeymoon phase. He'll be over it in a couple weeks and it'll be back to normal. Promise," Rose assured the three.

"Now we've just got to find ourselves some boyfriends," Sheila said, holding out her glass to Rose.

Rose clinked their glasses together and said, "Amen," before taking a huge drink. The boys chuckled, smiling at their friends.

••••

"Rose, come with me to get the snacks," Sheila instructed, standing up from her spot between Scorpius and Jonah. Rose huffed and followed her downstairs.

Once the the girls had gone, Scorpius turned to Jonah, "Shay's lowkey pissed."

"What? Why?" Jonah asked, obviously confused.

"She's jealous that you spent her entire party with Caroline and not her. It was her birthday after all..." Albus commented.

"But she had said I could bring Caroline..." Jonah was still confused.

Scorpius shrugged, "You know how girls are."

"Okay, true," Jonah agreed, "but you don't think she's upset with us dating in general, do you?"

Albus shrugged this time, "I don't know mate, but like I said, she's jealous either way."

"Like, hella jealous," Scorpius added, Albus nodded along with him.

"You two are dating and she's not upset with you..."

"Yeah, but that's different though, mate. We we're all friends before we started dating and neither of us ditched you guys to hang out with each other," Albus explained.

Jonah huffed in annoyance, knowing Albus was probably right.

The girls eventually returned bearing the left over snacks from the party earlier and some cheap wine.

"Wine?" Albus wondered, "How'd you get that?"

"It was at the back of my parents alcohol shelf. They won't even know notice it's gone, trust me. Though you can't have any," she tsked at Albus.

"Why's that?" Albus questioned, trying to think back to what he'd done to possibly offend her.

"You're not seventeen yet, mister," she booped his nose and took her previous spot between Jonah and Scorpius.

Albus chuckled, rolling his eyes, "Fine, be that way." He grabbed the tray of cookies for himself, and didn't let Sheila take one when she reached for a sugar cookie.

A few hours later, they were all a bit tipsy and were half way through a short-lived game of Truth or Dare.

"Jonah, truth or dare," Sheila tapped Jonah's knee with her now empty wine glass.

"Dare," he answered.

"I dare you to prank call any restaurant and tell them that you're ordering one of everything on their menu."

Jonah laughed and picked up his phone, "Who should I call?"

Rose shrugged, "Just do Mcdonald's."

Jonah searched up the number and put it in, then put his phone on speaker.

"Hello, this is McDonald's. I'm Carrie, what can I help you with?" a muffled voice asked.

"I McWant you to McDeliver one of McEverything on your McMenu to my McHome," Jonah replied and glanced up at Albus who was bitting his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't do deliveries-"

"You McKnow what?" Jonah interrupted, "Never McMind, I'm not that McHungry, I want one of everything but a McBuger with McLettuce and McFries-"

"Sir-"

"-McM'am if you're going to be McDifficult, I'm going to have to McCancel my McOrder," Jonah cut her off again, keeping his voice serious.

She didn't even bother replying, she just hung up and the five burst into laughter.

"I'm going to have to McCancel my McOrder," Albus mimicked through laughter.

Once their laughter died down a bit, Jonah asked Scorpius, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"How many people have you ever had sex with? Who was your favorite?" Jonah smirked.

Scorpius' cheeks flushed and he glanced away, he didn't like this open talk about his sexuality. "Can I use a chicken?"

"Awh nah mate! That's not a hard one, we're all friends here. You're the only one who doesn't talk about your sex life here," Jonah replied.

"Mate, if he doesn't feel comfortable answering the question, don't make him. Especially about something so personal," Albus defended.

Jonah opened his mouth to retort, but Scorpius interrupted with a sigh, "Fine. I've only ever had sex once in my life," he hesitated when saying 'sex' but he didn't know why it made him so uncomfortable. He was fine discussing it with Albus, but Albus was his boyfriend and that was completely different...

"Albus?" Sheila wondered quietly. Scorpius just nodded, keeping his head down and staying quiet for a moment before clearing his throat and turning to Rose.

"Uh Rose, truth or dare?"


	6. change of heart

"James, you have too much shit," Sheila sighed as she struggled to close a box, eventually pulling out her wand instead of doing it by hand.

"That's why there's a sell pile and a take pile," James teased. "Albus, go take that box down to my car," James pointed at a large box next to Albus.

"I'm not your servant," Albus crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well you offered to help!" James replied and Sheila giggled. But it wasn't like her usual giggle Scorpius noticed, it was more high pitched and fake... he just brushed it off

"I'll do it, James," Sheila waved her wand and the box was in the air.

"Thanks," he smiled at her, waving his own wand to pick up another box. They both walked out of James room to take them to his car.

The moment they were both out of the room, Scorpius turned to Albus, "Is it just me or are they flirting with each other?"

"No, I noticed it too," Albus replied, walking across the room towards Scorpius. "I swear... If they start dating..." Albus shook his head, burying it into Scorpius' shoulder.

"That'd be a bit weird - for you I mean," Scorpius replied, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy.

"We can't leave them alone for two minutes and they're already all over each other," James groaned, stepping back into the room with Lily and Sheila behind him. Sheila giggled flirtatiously in response to James.

"They've been even more touchy feely with each other these past like, three days. Have you noticed?" Lily commented as if the boys weren't even there.

"How's that even possible?" James joked.

"It's cause they fucked for the first time," Sheila smirked.

Albus spluttered, "What?!"

James said, "Wait! First time? You've never fucked before?"

"You know, we need Rose!" Scorpius clapped, diverting their attention. His face was bright red in embarrassment. "She'd have this whole room packed and loaded in your car within an hour," Scorpius commented, ignoring James' earlier one.

"True, too bad they left yesterday," Albus pulled away from Scorpius to finish packing up James' room.

"What are you going to do after you're all moved out?" Sheila asked James.

"Well, besides taking uni classes, hopefully I'll find a job to help pay rent. Can't rely on my parents forever," James smiled. Sheila giggled again even though it wasn't funny. Albus wanted to groan. Since when did she have a crush on James? His brother of all people!

••••

There was a polite knock on the door and Ginny glanced over at Harry to make sure she hadn't just imagined it, it had been so quiet.

Ginny got up to open the door and standing on their front porch was Draco and Astoria Malfoy.

"Hello," Ginny greeted, trying not to sound surprised. Harry, Ginny and the Malfoy's had never been close, but the friendship between their sons had caused them to become more... acquainted. They talked occasionally but it was never much, merely a 'Isn't the weather nice today?' and, 'Are you sure it's fine if Albus stays over?'

"Hello, Ginny. Is Scorpius here? We'd like to speak with him if that's alright," Astoria smiled politely.

"Not at the moment," Ginny replied. "He should be back soon."

"Where is he?" Draco wondered, a hint of malice in his voice, as if he wanted to say, 'How dare you tell me where my own son is?!' 

"He, Al, Lily and Sheila went to help James move into his new flat. They should be back any moment. Is there any particular reason you're on my doorstep?" Harry asked suddenly, coming from behind Ginny to glare at Draco across the threshold.

Draco merely sneered. "He's come to apologize. I want Scorpius to come back home," Astoria explained almost pleadingly.

"Apologize?" Ginny sounded surprised.

"Of course," Astoria replied. She and Ginny were definitely a bit closer than their husbands. "He shouldn't have attacked his own son like that," she crossed her dainty arms across her chest.

"What's the point in an apology if he clearly doesn't mean it?" Harry wondered, sending daggers at Draco with his eyes.

Just then the sound of a car pulling up their drive way diverted their attention.

James' dark grey truck pulled in and as soon as it stopped, Lily leaped out if the back.

"Al nearly killed us!" she cried. 

Al, who jumped out of the drivers door, replied, "I did not!"

"He had one bad turn!" Scorpius protested, laughing along with Sheila as they climbed out of the car.

Albus rolled his eyes, chuckling as he leaned into Scorpius slightly. Scorpius' smile fell and his pace slowed as he saw who was standing on the porch.

"Wha-" Albus nearly asked before spotting the Malfoy's up on the porch as well.

"Okay, do you want my opinion, or my honest opinion on your driving skills?" James asked.

"Your honest opinion," Albus replied.

"I thought you did very well and you've already improved since the beginning of the summer. You might actually pass your driving test," James clapped his younger brother on the back affectionately.

"Now what's your other opinion?" Sheila asked.

"My plain opinion is that you were shit and I'm never letting you drive my car again, twat," James roughly tousled Al's already messy black hair and shoved him into Scorpius. It was all in the name of brotherly love.

"So what's the truth?" Lily imitated the old Oprah meme. Lily got a shove from James too.

The kids fell silent as the noticed Scorpius' quiet stance and the parents and visitors on the porch.

Lily got the hint and started towards the door. Sheila grabbed James' arm and followed Lily inside.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" Ginny asked.

They all nodded stiffly and silently followed her inside and sat down in the living room.

Scorpius was the first to speak, "What are you doing here?"

"I've made him come here to apologize," Astoria answered before Draco could open his mouth.

"Wait, so he wants to apologize, or you're making him?" Scorpius asked sternly.

"I'm making him because I miss you and he needs to realize that you're our son and your sexuality shouldn't hinder our love for you," Astoria explained.

"Mum, I want to hear what he has to say," Scorpius was highly disappointed.

Draco sighed, Albus noticed his own dad staring daggers at Draco. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you. You're my son and I should respect your... decisions. Now I may not agree, but that doesn't mean I can't learn to live with it."

Scorpius wanted to roll his eyes. His father was not being genuine, "What are you saying? You want me to come back like mum?"

"Yes, come back. Come to France with us. Like she said, you're our son. We miss you," Draco replied.

"That's all you're going to say?"

••••

It had been about a week since Draco and Astoria showed up on the Potter's porch to 'apologize'. It had been quite a gloomy week, Scorpius was in a somber mood and apparently Albus' mood constantly mirrored his boyfriends. The boys' gloomy attitudes dulled everyone around them, and the fact that it seemed to constantly be raining didn't help.

To Albus it seemed everywhere he went, Scorpius was right there. At first it didn't bother him but now it was becoming quite a bother.

Albus would reach for the roll basket and he would bump arms with Scorpius and drop the basket. He'd be getting dressed and Scorpius would step into the room. Albus would be helping his mum with the dishes and Scorpius would be standing in the way of the bowls, then in front of the cups and then the fridge. He'd be stepping out of the shower, or going to the bathroom and Scorpius would just enter without knocking. It felt like Scorpius was breathing down his neck. Of course he loved Scorpius, he just needed a few hours to himself occasionally. 

When Scorpius sat down next to him on the couch after he had grabbed a book and a blanket to have some quiet and alone time, Albus lost it.

"Merlins beard Scorpius! I need some space! You're always just there! You're in my bed, you're next to me at dinner, you're there when I turn around! I can't breathe!"

Everyone had heard his shouting coming from the living room.

Hurt, Scorpius replied with, "I'm sorry... I didn't know you felt that way..."

Scorpius then slept in the guest room for the next two days. And that's when Ginny noticed that Scorpius hadn't moved back into the guest room after Rose had left.

It was currently around one AM and Harry was positive he heard someone downstairs that wasn't supposed to be. His wand was clutched in his hand and he could hear the floor boards creak ever so slightly from in the kitchen.

He glanced around the corner to see the silhouette of Albus in the light coming from the fridge. The fridge shut and the floorboards creaked, there was obviously someone else there.

"I came to get a drink," he heard Scorpius explain quietly.

Albus sighed and Scorpius stepped closer to Albus and was now in Harry's line of sight. Scorpius passed Albus to lean against the counter. 

Albus was fiddling with his hands, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I lashed out at you," he gushed.

"No, I'm sorry. I should have realized how much time were spending together," Scorpius shrugged sadly.

"That's not what I meant... I like spending time with you, you know that," Albus reached a hand out to Scorpius.

"I know, Al. All I'm saying is we shouldn't spend all of our time together, that's unhealthy. Maybe I should go stay with Sheila for a while. She offered," he glanced away, avoiding Al's comforting hand on his arm.

"I said I wanted space but I lied, I'm sorry, I was upset... I don't want space anymore," Albus had moved closer to Scorpius now, their bodies were practically pressed to together, both Al's hands on Scorpius' arms now. Harry couldn't help but realize that was way too close for friends.

In the dim light coming from the streetlamp  through the window, Harry could barely see as Scorpius' eyes darted up and down Al's face, then as Scorpius kissed Al.

Harry turned away feeling as if he shouldn't be spying on this personal moment. Shock was written all over his face.

"Are you upset?" he heard Scorpius whisper.

"No, I've told you, no," Albus replied. Harry didn't know what they were talking about but  still listened in.

"Sheila feels bad."

"Then why is she going?" Albus asked, trying to suppress any anger.

"See, you're upset," The floor boards creaked again and Harry glanced back around the corner. Scorpius had turned his back to Albus and was taking a drink.

"I told you I'm not," Albus said sternly, then sighed, realizing that he didn't have to get stern with him. He wrapped his arms around Scorpius from behind, resting his chin on the taller boys shoulder.

"Maybe me leaving will be good for us," Scorpius mimicked his sigh, and turned around, Al's arms still around him.

"Maybe..." Albus' voice was barely above a whisper as he leaned in to press their lips together again.

Harry had to close his eyes and move away, recollecting himself. He figured he shouldn't eavesdrop anymore and silently slipped back up stairs. As he climbed into bed again, he resisted all urges to wake Ginny and tell her everything he just saw.

Back downstairs the boys were still softly making out. Scorpius' hands gently trailed up and down Al's back, and Al's hands caressed Scorpius' cheeks. Their lips were only softly moving together as if they were any rougher the other would fall away.

The dim light from the window casted deep and intimate shadows across each others faces and bodies, setting a secretive vibe. Time didn't feel real, nothing felt real except for the touch of the others skin and it felt like the world had practically stopped just for them.

There was no other way to describe it other than simply bliss.

••••

Ginny unforgivingly pushed Albus' bedroom door open. It was eleven in the morning, he had no excuse to not be up. The distinctive smell of teenage boy washed over her and she cringed as she saw the piles of clothes scattered throughout the room. Some were definitely Scorpius' clothes.

She moved her attention to the bed where she expected he would be, but not only did she see Albus tangled in the covers, but Scorpius too. That was a bit surprising. Since when do guy friends share a bed?

She brushed it off, just like every other gay thing she had witnessed. "This room is disastrous!" she said loud enough to wake the teens.

Albus shifted slightly and groaned, pulling the duvet over his head as Ginny whipped open the blinds. Scorpius huffed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"It's nearly noon, get your lazy arses out of bed. You don't want to waste your summer away, do you?"

Albus groaned again in response.

"Plus you have a visitor," Ginny hummed, bending down to throw some of the wrinkled clothes in the hamper.

"Who?" Albus asked groggily as Scorpius sat up against the headboard, yawning and stretching.

"Scorp's dad," Ginny replied, walking out of the room.

Albus sat up at that, "What's your dad want?"

Scorpius shrugged, "Whatever it is, I don't care," he then crawled back under the covers and pulled them around him so he looked like a pile of blankets from the outside.

Albus sighed, understanding. "Maybe you should see what he wants..."

"Why would I do that?" his voice was very muffled.

Albus thought about it for a moment, didn't have an answer, then pulled the blankets over himself as well.

"Boys!" Ginny's voice rang from downstairs. They ignored her.

"Want me to go and tell him to bugger off?" asked Albus' muffled voice.

"If you'd like, I'm really not in the mood to listen to his lies."

Albus threw the covers off and slipped out of the bed, marching down stairs.

As he came to the bottom step he watched as Ginny and Draco turned their attention towards him.

"Is Scorpius on his way down?" Draco wondered.

"I'm afraid to inform you that Scorpius can not speak with you right now," Albus replied as if Draco hadn't even spoke.

Mr. Malfoy physically deflated, "Tell him I've come to apologize on my own, and that his mother doesn't even know I'm here... Would you do that for me, please?" he begged.

Albus gave him a curious look, then turned around and sprinted back up stairs.

"What'd he want?" Scorpius asked softly as Albus climbed back under the covers.

"He said he came to apologize and that he came on his own accord, that your mum didn't make him," Albus replied just as quietly.

Scorpius frowned at Albus in the dulled light from under the duvet, "I should talk to him, shouldn't I?"

"That's up to you, but I'll support you in whatever you choose," Albus replied.

Scorpius pulled his lip between his teeth as he thought about what he wanted to do. Albus leaned forward and pecked his lips softly, "It's going to be okay, promise." Scorpius just nodded silently, then threw the sheets off himself.

Albus followed his boyfriend downstairs into the kitchen where his parents and Mr. Malfoy were making small talk.

"Hello boys," Ginny gave them a half smile.

"Sc-Scorpius, hi," Draco choked, turning in his chair to face his son.

Scorpius merely nodded in greeting then sat down across the table, next to Albus.

"I've come to apologize - I want to apologize. I've realized how I've not been the best parent-" Albus rolled his eyes and didn't try to hide it. Draco ignored it but Harry gave him a stern look. "You can't change who you are or what you like and I've come to terms with that. I must accept you for you because you are my son and it's my job to support and help you with everything."

"Why did it take so long for you to try and accept me?" Scorpius asked, keeping his face neutral.

"I was raised on traditional values, a wizard marries a witch and that's how it's supposed to be, so it was a shock when you... when you said that you were..."

"Gay? Attracted to men?" Scorpius offered with a bit of malice in his voice.

"Yeah, that," he awkwardly cleared his throat, "It-it was just a surprise to me and I didn't know how to react. I was frustrated with your mother not being home and I'd never seen a male wear makeup and the fact that-that it was my own son just..." Draco slightly shook his head as if he couldn't even say it.

Albus locked their ankles together to show Scorpius that he was there. "Are you trying to justify kicking me out? You were surprised? Scared? What are you trying to do?"

"I never should have kicked you out, Scorpius. I regret it terribly. I should have let you explain yourself." Draco sounded genuinely sorry but Scorpius was still not pleased with his 'apology'. 

"But you didn't. You made me feel like shit about myself, you said I couldn't be your son if I was gay! How am I supposed to forgive my father who doesn't even want me as a son? You made me miserable, and you had the audacity to show up with mother and act like you don't even want me back home. It fucking hurt," Scorpius never cussed in front of his parents, or any adults, but he was tired of his father trying to mend their relationship when he could tell the older Malfoy didn't even care. He wanted Draco to know how much his words and actions affected him.

"Scorpius, believe me, I feel horrible. I want to fix our relationship, I want things to be okay between us because I miss you so much and I'm willing to try. For you. I regret saying I didn't want you as a son, those words never should have left my mouth. Your mother and I-we need you. The Manor isn't home without you. Please consider my apology and understand that I do care, and I am trying," Draco pleaded.

Scorpius glanced down at his hands in his lap as he tried to come up with a reply. He watched as Albus slipped his hand into Scorpius' paler one, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He was so thankful Albus was here right next to him.

"Can I step out for a moment to think?" he asked quietly.

"Sure, sure, whatever you need," Draco nodded.

Scorpius gave Albus a look that told the latter to come with. Albus responded by following the blonde out of the kitchen.

The couple stepped into the living room where Lily was watching her show, but they ignored her. 

"Al, what do I do?" Scorpius pleaded.

"Babe, what do you want to do? What do you think is right?" Albus prompted.

"I-I don't know, do you think he's being genuine, or is he just putting on a show?" Scorpius asked.

"To me he sounds genuine, and honestly I think the best thing would be to fix things between you too. I know he can be horrible at times, but it's better to be on good terms with him," Albus continued.

"You really think I should go home with him?" Scorpius asked.

Albus shrugged, "Only if you feel comfortable, you can always accept his apology but stay here."

Scorpius nodded, "Yeah, you're right... but I think if he's willing to work on his attitude, then I feel comfortable being at home."

"Then go home, if that's what you want. I don't mind either way I just want you to be happy," Albus reached for the other boy's hands.

"I think I'm gonna go home... " Albus just nodded in agreement. It was probably time. Scorpius sighed, "What in the world would I do without you babe?" He gently grabbed Albus' face and pulled him in for a brief kiss before walking back into the kitchen.


	7. pressure

Scorpius didn't say anything for a long moment. He held up his arms gesturing to his room, "Back in my own room, though I don't know how to feel about it," he admitted to the camera.

"I've been on Twitter and Snapchat, so some of you may know that I've been staying at Albus' for the past month and a half. I've really been slacking on uploading and even making videos. I haven't been in the mood, and quite frankly having your boyfriend around twenty-four-seven is quite distracting, if you know what I mean," he chuckled. "But honestly I'm not in the mood now to make videos, especially not this one, but you deserve an explanation for my absence and my shitty mood. I don't know when I'll feel in the mood again, maybe after my annual trip to France? I don't know, but just understand that even after this, my uploads still won't be as frequent," he explained.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead, glancing down at the paper where he had quickly written out an outline of what he wanted to say. He then pushed it away, deciding he didn't need it and that this video shouldn't be 'scripted' in any way, it was too personal and emotional.

"I guess I should begin with our last day at school, since that's when it started?" he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and continued. He explained everything from his dad kicking him out, to how he stayed with the Potters and how his parents begged for him to come home.

"-and I forgave him and now I'm back here..." he finished. "I don't know what telling you all this will achieve, but I hate hiding stuff from you guys because this is a pretty big deal in my life and I already keep enough to myself," he waved his hand in dismissal and finished up his video. "Anyways, thank you guys for sticking around, even during my half-assed hiatus," he chuckled, "I hope you all have a wonderful morning, day, night, whatever it is where you are!" he waved at the camera for a few seconds knowing he'd cut there because he wasn't going to do his usual outro where he listed his other social medias.

Hopefully this was the closure he needed, he had always felt better about things if he talked about them in front of his camera, plus his fans were getting worried about why he wasn't uploading any videos.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Scorpius glanced at the red light still flashing on his camera, "Yes?" he called.

The door opened and he was ready to fight the person or house elf who hadn't replied, but then he saw it was Albus and he relaxed.

"Oh, hi babe," Scorpius opened his arms and Albus fell into him, pushing him back onto the bed in the process.

"Missed you," Albus mumbled into his shoulder.

Scorpius chuckled, "It's been a day darling."

"I know, but you weren't in my bed to wake me up with kisses," Albus kissed his boyfriends nose quickly making Scorpius giggle again.

"Did you just come here because you missed me or is there something else?" Scorpius wondered, pushing Albus' black messy hair out of his eyes.

"Well... I was thinking, and you know how my birthday is in two weeks?" Albus asked softly.

"Yeah, of course, and I'll be home from France just in time," Scorpius studied his boyfriends face, thinking about how badly he wanted to kiss him all over.

"Yeah, well, I think I want to come out on my birthday, like officially to my parents and family and stuff," Albus admitted.

"Really? That's great," Scorpius smiled warmly, "Are you really ready?"

Albus shrugged, glancing away from Scorpius, "I think by then I will be for sure. But I want it to be in a cool way, you know?"

"In a cool way? What were you thinking?" Scorpius wondered, forgetting the camera was still recording.

"I don't know, that's why I came here, I wanted you to help me with ideas," Al admitted. 

Scorpius hummed as he thought, glancing around his room for inspiration. He then saw his gay pride banner he had bought a while ago, but had only just hung up in spite of his father. "I have an idea," Scorpius smirked.

Albus lit up, "Do tell."

Scorpius briefly explained his idea and Albus smiled widely, "I love it." He pecked Scorpius' lips and chuckled before leaning back down and kissing him for real. One of Scorpius' hands threaded into Albus' hair and the other trailed up his back. Albus' rested his elbows on either side of Scorpius' head.

Their simple kissing turned into a heavy make out session, they were both breathing heavily and staring to get hot even under their short sleeve shirts and shorts. They were still half hanging off the bed, so as Albus sat up to take his shirt off, Scorpius shifted so they were completely on the bed. Albus' legs straddled Scorpius' hips as he pulled off the sweaty tee shirt.

It was mid summer, of course it was going to be a bit sticky.

As Scorpius sat up to take off his own shirt, his camera beeped and they both turned to the noise.

"Ah fuck," Scorpius muttered. That sound meant the batteries were almost out.

"You've been recording?" Albus wondered, giving Scorpius a confused look.

"Yeah I was recording a video explaining my unannounced hiatus, and then you came and I forgot to stop it," He explained, gently pushing Albus off him so he could shut it off.

"We could keep it on and film a sex tape," Albus joked, "Then we'd really be famous."

"Ha," Scorpius laughed sarcastically, ending the clip.

"Actually, just clickbait that video and have it say, 'ME AND ALBUS' SEX TAPE!!!' and use a screenshot of us making out as the thumbnail," He laughed.

"How disappointing would that be?" Scorpius laughed as well, "You think you're getting a sex tape, then it's actually just me being depressing." Scorpius climbed back onto his bed, getting on top of Albus this time.

Albus' breathing picked up, "Do you actually want to have sex right now?"

Scorpius kissed his neck, making Albus' eye lids flutter and his throat catch. They'd been dating for how long and Scorpius still makes him feel like this?!

"Only if you're okay with it, yeah," Scorpius replied quietly and lightly dragged his teeth over Al's ear. 

"Yeah, yeah-fuck Scorpius," Albus tried to press his body closer to Scorpius'.

Scorpius let out a small, breathy laugh, "You're real touchy today, aren't you?"

Albus nodded quickly in agreement, "I'm kind of really horny right now."

Scorpius bit his lip and glanced up and down Albus completely before asking, "Can I be on top this time?"

"Urm, yes, of course," Albus sat up. "Do you need help with-with anything?"

"Probably, yeah."

••••

"Fuck, Scorpius," Albus groaned as Scorpius collapsed on top of him. "We should have done that earlier..."

"What? Sex?" Scorpius was a bit out of it, he was still trying to even out his breathing.

"No, you topping," Albus replied, pushing Scorpius hair off his sweaty forehead, "That was bloody brilliant."

"You were awfully loud. Louder than last time," Scorpius pointed out, making the flush on Albus' cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red.

"Shut up," Albus mumbled, trying to push Scorpius away. He didn't succeed, so he turned his back to Scorpius.

Scorpius laughed and wrapped an arm around the tan boy and pulled him into his chest, "It's hot," Scorpius whispered, kissing his neck.

"No, it's embarrassing," Albus mumbled.

"I love you," Scorpius giggled, making Albus smile.

"I love you too," Albus sighed, turning to kiss Scorpius, then turned back and snuggled up against the blonde.

Albus glanced at Scorpius' nightstand to see the time, "Shit," he muttered, "I was supposed to be home like ten minutes ago."

"Don't go," Scorpius whined, tightening his grip around Albus' torso.

"Babe, I've got to, I told them I'd help James finish moving into his flat. He's just got to unpack now," Albus frowned as he shifted to lay on his back. "You can come if you'd like," he offered.

"I just want to take a nap with you," Scorpius buried his face in the crook of Al's neck. 

Albus chuckled and ruffled up his blonde hair even more than it already was, "Just come with me."

"Fine," Scorpius huffed, tickling Albus' warm skin with his breath. They climbed out of bed and got dressed as Albus texted his mum, apologizing for being late and that they were on their way.

"Ready?" Albus asked, slipping his phone and wallet into his pocket.

"Hold on, I've got to fix my makeup a bit," Scorpius walked into his bathroom, Albus followed.

"Just take off your lipstick, everything else looks fine, babe," Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius' waist, clinging onto him like a sloth. Scorpius was used to having to do his makeup with Albus clinging to him.

Scorpius pulled out a makeup wipe and Albus grabbed it from him and wiped off the smudged lipstick for him. "Thanks," Scorpius laughed.

"Which one did you have on?" Albus asked, looking at the several lipsticks he had sitting out.

"This one," it was a soft pink that wasn't too bold. His makeup today was pretty toned down in general, Albus didn't have to guess at why.

Albus plucked it from Scorpius' fingers and carefully applied it, using his full concentration so he didn't mess up. Before Albus could completely pull away, Scorpius leaned in and quickly kissed Albus' cheek, leaving a pink kiss on his tanned skin.

Albus gasped, surprised, and looked in the mirror, "Scorpius!" he laughed, taking a step back. Scorpius held up his phone, recoding a video on Snapchat.

Scorpius pulled him closer and placed more kisses across his face as Albus giggled in protest. He connected their lips in a real kiss just as the video stopped recording. Scorpius set his phone down and pressed Albus against the counter. Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius' neck and pulled away from the kiss. 

"We should go," he said softly, having to look up at the blonde boy.

"Are we going to floo to James' new place?" Scorpius wondered.

"Nah, I don't know his new address yet,"  Albus shook his head, stepping backwards out of Scorpius' arms. "I'm going to drive us," Albus pulled his wallet out of his back pocket to show Scorpius his license. "I got my license yesterday," he winked, "proud of me?"

"I'm always proud of you," Scorpius smiled warmly, pressing a quick kiss to Albus' nose, then his forehead.

••••  

"Did Albus crash you guys into a ditch?" James greeted as he opened the door with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, that's why we were late," Albus shrugged, stepping inside.

"Yeah right," James rolled his eyes, shutting the door behind Scorpius. He threw his arm around the blond boy and gestured to his living room as they stepped through the tight hallway, "Welcome to my humble abode!" Scorpius just laughed and let James give him a tour of the flat.

Albus walked into the small kitchen where Harry was stocking the fridge, knowing that James probably wouldn't do it himself. James' phone was on the counter and it caught Albus' attention when it lit up with a message notification.

He picked up the phone to read that the notification was from 'Sheila Belby ;)'. He unlocked his phone with his fingerprint which he had secretly put in there, to read their messages.

He scrolled up to get to the top of their messages, but got bored and started reading...

James: 'Al wouldn't be mad?' 

Sheila: 'why would he be mad? i'm not trying to date scorpius...'

James: 'True.' 

Sheila: 'are you worried?'

Sheila: 'i don't think al cares about that kind of stuff tbh'

James: 'I mean we already barely get along, this'll just add fuel to the fire.'

Sheila: 'you get along fine for teenage brothers trust me'

James: 'But you know him better than me.' 

Sheila: 'well if you're worried we don't even have to tell him. we're not even official anyways'

James: 'I'll take you on a date?' 

Sheila: 'i said not until you're over maya'

James: 'I am over her.' 

Sheila: 'jamie you still tweet at her like you used to'

Albus scrolled back down to more recent texts, not even sure he wanted to read more. Sheila was actually trying to get with his brother? He wasn't sure how he felt about it. He felt a bit betrayed that they were going behind his back.

James:'I bet your lips would feel fantastic on mine.' 

Sheila: 'wouldn't you like to know ;)'

James: 'Are your parents home?'

Sheila: 'only until four'

James: 'Can I come over?' 

Sheila: 'what would we do?'

James: 'Why don't I come over  
and you'll find out ;)'

Sheila: 'you know i don't like surprises'

Albus read two messages of their sexing and had to shut off the phone. He quickly placed it back on the counter as James and Scorpius walked in.

"Pretty nice, yeah?" James asked Scorpius who nodded and then sat on one of the bar stools across the counter from Albus.

"Yeah, it's nice for your first apartment. Have you got a job yet?" He wondered, having heard him talk about trying to find one a while ago.

"Yes, I'm working at a small, family run restaurant down the street. You know my cousin Lucy, right?" James asked.

"Yeah, we've never properly talked, but I know who she is," Scorpius replied.

"Well, she owns it and then I applied for a job at Weasley's, but uncle George is supposed to owl me soon," James explained, pulling out the chocolate milk jug that Harry had just put away to take a swig straight from the carton.

"James, you know you can't leach off family for the rest of your life," Albus teased.

"Oh but I can, little brother, you just watch me," James replied cockily. Albus rolled his eyes and tried to forget about the texts between James and Sheila.

••••

The video started out with Albus burring his face in his hands as he laughed, Sheila gaped at the camera, and Scorpius just said, "That is not going in the video!"

Rose can be heard from behind the camera saying, "No! Put it in!" as Scorpius went to rebegin the video.

"Hey guys! As you can see I am here with my boyfriend, Albus, and my best friend, Sheila! Zoella did this video a while ago where I ask some questions about myself, and we get to see who knows me best. They're both really competitive so it's kind of a fight to the death," he joked.

"Shay's gonna be six feet under, I've got this in the bag," Albus said confidently while Sheila shook her head.

"We all know that your over confidence is just a mask for the fact that you know very little about Scorpius here," Sheila ran her hands though Scorpius' hair as she pulled him into her side.

"First off, don't touch my boyfriend, secondly, we've been dating for almost three years now and have known each other since we got on the train, so suck it," Albus snapped back, obviously just playing. He pulled Scorpius closer to him and gave Sheila a protective glare.

"Okay, okay," Scorpius chuckled, "lets not argue and get on with it then? I'll ask a question and the first to answer correctly will get the point," he explained.

"Hit us with the first question," Albus said, eagerly sitting on the edge of Scorpius' bed.

"Okay, what is my favorite Disney movie?" he asked.

"Aristocats!" Both of them shouted at the same time.

Immediately Albus jumped up and shouted, "That was me! I said it first!"

"Hell no! It was me!" Sheila retaliated, jabbed a finger at her chest to emphasize that it was her.

Scorpius just laughed, "Rose who do you think it was?" he asked.

"Hmm," Rose laughed, "Honestly, I think it was Sheila."

"No! It was one hundred percent me!" Albus argued.

"Darling," Scorpius laughed, grabbing Al's arm and pulling him closer, "That was only the first question."

"I know, but I said it first," Albus pouted, "I should get that point!" Scorpius just kissed his pouty lips, shaking his head slightly as he pulled away.

"You better let me get the next point," Albus frowned.

"You just have to be faster," Scorpius teased, brushing Albus' cheek with his thumb. Albus nudged his hand away, turning to pout.

"Alright, next question, I'm ready to fucking destroy you," Sheila demanded, throwing Albus a smirk.

"Second question, which celebrity do I wish I could sleep with?"

"Oh fuck," Sheila muttered, "I know this... David Beckham?"

"No, it's Jake Gyllenhaal," Albus smirked confidently.

"Yeah," Scorpius chuckled, leaning into Albus.

"What?" Sheila asked, dumbfounded, "I could have sworn you've told me David Beckham!"

"I mean, yes he's very hot, but..." Scorpius shook his head slighty as Sheila gaped at him.

••••

Convincing his mum to let him and Scorpius drive to the beach was a great idea. Scorpius' phone had died on the hour drive so he wasn't distracted, and they'd both left their cameras in the car so they could have some quiet time to themselves without the stress of a camera filming them or being worried that a parent spotted them being couple-y.

The beach wasn't too crowded, it was summer but it was also a weekday. It was relieving for the both of them to have some calm time together, walking along the shore. Their conversation flowed nicely, like usual, and silences weren't awkward, not that they ever were between them.

Neither of them knew how long they'd been at the beach but eventually they made it back to James' car.

"Can you grab my camera, it's in the back pocket thing," Albus gestured behind him and Scorpius reached behind the chair for him. He blindly grabbed for the camera but instead grabbed a plastic baggy. He pulled it out to see what it was and almost put it back before it registered to him what it actually was. He didn't even say anything as he held the bag in front of Albus.

Albus' eyes went wide, "Holy shit, is that weed?"

"James knows how to party apparently," Scorpius chuckled.

••••

"Can you like, feel your bones inside you?" Albus asked druggedly.

Scorpius took a while to reply, as if he was seriously thinking about his answer, "Yeah, oh my god." He turned to Albus and they laughed through the foggy air. They probably should have opened a window, but now they were too high to really care.

Scorpius sighed and rested his head on Albus' shoulder, looking out at the ocean, "It's really sad that those fish will never get to taste a brownie."

Albus looked down at his boyfriend who had a small frown on his face from the thought. "If I had a fish, I'd feed him brownies," Albus decided.

"That's so nice of you," Scorpius hummed.

Albus rested his head against Scorpius', "I really want to kiss you," he said softly.

Scorpius smiled and adjusted his position so they were facing each other and could kiss easier. Albus then pressed his lips to Scorpius' lazily and felt Scorpius smile again. Albus pushed his hand through Scorpius' still wind-tousled hair.

They breathlessly pulled away after a few moments and Scorpius said, "Your mouth tastes so good, I want to kiss you forever."

Albus giggled, pressing their foreheads together. "You can't drive like this," Scorpius said, brushing their noses together.

"I'm not that high," Albus tried, kissing Scorpius again. Scorpius didn't respond as he kissed Albus back. Albus pushed him backwards, leaning over the armrest, trying to kiss him harder. He soon decided the armrest was in the way and clumsily climbed over into the passenger seat, straddling Scorpius' lap.

"James will be so pissed if he finds out that we smoked his weed," Scorpius huffed as Albus briefly pulled away to breathe.

"It's his fault for leaving it," Al shrugged, " he'll be even more pissed if he finds out we fucked in here too."

Scorpius merely laughed in agreement, "Should we? Right here?" he asked breathily.

"Hell yes. I want to ride you like this," Albus then attacked Scorpius' lips in a sloppy kiss before pushing his hands up Scorpius' t-shirt.


	8. heart out

"And you'll be packed by next Monday, correct?" Draco asked, stopping Scorpius on the stairs.

"Yes. How long are we staying again?" Scorpius asked, still slightly on edge with talking to his father.

"Only one week," Draco replied.

"Wait, why?" Scorpius wondered just as Astoria stepped around the corner.

"Because we decided not to stay for two is all," Astoria explained briefly.

"But we always..." Scorpius frowned, trailing off. "Never mind that, I was wondering if Sheila could come along. 'Cause you always let me bring a friend..." he looked at Draco hopefully.

Astoria glanced at her husband to see his answer, "Yes, that's fine," he replied stiffly then turned away.

Scorpius let out a sigh of relief and thanked his mother before running back up the stairs to his room.

••••

"Oh my gosh did you see Albus on Twitter?" Sheila asked, laughing slightly. She wasn't even looking at her phone as she talked to Scorpius through FaceTime.

"Yes," Scorpius rolled his eyes, "He's so overdramatic about everything," he continued to wave his wand so his clothes folded themselves and were placed in his trunk.

"I'm going to be so alone! How will I survive three weeks without my boyfriend! Is this what hell is like?" she cried in a mocking tone, referring to Albus' numerous tweets about Scorpius going away.

"He'll be fine," Scorpius chuckled.

"He's not jealous that I'm going with you, is he?" Sheila asked, her tone a bit more serious.

"No, no, I've talked to him about it and he's totally fine with it, I promise," Scorpius assured her.

"But he's like... your boyfriend," she chuckled stiffly.

"Shay, I swear it's fine. Ask him," Scorpius rolled his eyes again.

Sheila sighed loudly, "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Are you done packing yet?"

"Almost," Scorpius answered, flopping down onto his bed, grabbing his phone and holding it out in front of him. Sheila was looking just off the camera applying makeup.

"I'm so excited for France," Sheila squealed slightly.

Scorpius laughed, "My grandparents are bigoted bores, it's not that exciting."

"I know, but it's still going to be great," she replied cheerfully.

"Actually my grandmother is alright, it's mostly my grandfather that bothers me," Scorpius blabbered on.

••••

"Hello, Scorpius! It's so lovely to see you!" Narcissa greeted, pulling her grandson into a light hug. As she pulled away, she noticed Sheila standing quietly behind him. "And who might this lovely young lady be? Your girlfriend?" she teased.

"Ah no, this is Sheila, she's just my friend," Scorpius introduced.

"Hello darling, it's a pleasure to meet you,' Narcissa proceeded to give Sheila a nice hug.

Scorpius then awkwardly shook hands with his grandfather in greeting and exchanged stiff 'hello's.

••••

"Your grandmother is kind," Sheila whispered to Scorpius as they were sitting down.

"Yes," Scorpius agreed, "But not my grandfather," he finished for her.

She gave him a look and shrugged, "He is a bit cold..."

"Is that not what I told you?" he asked.

"Fair enough," Sheila nodded, eyeing the salad bowl as Narcissa waved her wand, dispersing the salad onto peoples plates around the long table.

"So," Lucius cleared his throat as everyone started to eat, "Scorpius, you're on your final year of school, do you have any plans of what you want to do when you're done?"

"Erm," Scorpius slowly pushed his food around his plate. He wanted to do something involving makeup, but he hadn't even discussed it with his parents, and he sure as hell didn't want to tell his grandfather who would most definitely react worse than his father. "Maybe something with history? History teacher maybe?" He wouldn't necessarily mind being a history teacher, he really enjoyed History of Magic class, and thought it'd be fun to be a teacher, but teaching was Rose's thing and he enjoyed make up way more.

"Hmm, yes," Lucius nodded slightly, Scorpius knew he didn't fully approve. Teaching didn't pay as well as a Ministry job, but it was better than saying, 'I plan on making a living by posting make up tutorials on YouTube.'

"Have you thought about marriage at all?" Lucius wondered.

Scorpius choked on his drink a bit and Sheila gave him a worried look. "Marriage?" Scorpius' voice went up an octave. He glanced at his father who had an uneasy look on his face.

"Yes. Marriage," he looked between his grandson and Sheila.

"Uh-erm, no? Not really no, I haven't," Scorpius stuttered.

Lucius chuckled, "Well you must, I mean you have to pass down the Malfoy name. You're the last heir."

"Father," Draco coughed, trying to divert his attention from the subject.

"What? Have you not discussed this with him? Have you not arranged with the Carrow's? Don't they have a daughter his age?" Lucius wondered as if it would be stupid not to.

"Uh, no," Draco replied awkwardly, knowing he was deeply disappointing his father. "But yes, they did have a daughter his age, but she was sent to Durmstrang years ago," he explained.

"We're letting him marry whom ever he wants," Astoria spoke up, not afraid of her in-laws.

Lucius furrowed his eyebrows at her as if that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "Do you have your eyes on someone then?" Lucius directed at Scorpius.

"Uh..." he glanced at his father again who was sending him a glare that said not to tell him that he is gay. Scorpius glanced down for a moment, "No, er not really yet. Aren't I a bit young to be thinking about marriage?"

"I sure do think so," Astoria scoffed, "He's only seventeen for Merlin's sake!"

Lucius seemed to ignore her, "Sheila, your father was pureblood, right?"

Sheila's cheeks tinted pink as she was put on the spot, "Er yes..."

"What about your mother? Is she as well?" he asked curiously.

"No, she's muggleborn," she replied shyly as Lucius seemed to eye her up and down.

"That's about the best you can do these days," he muttered under his breath, "I think you and Scorpius would make a lovely couple," he commented.

Both children became flustered, "Oh no, no, no sir, Scorpius and I are just friends!"

"Yes, just friends, nothing more," Scorpius assured.

"The wedding should be held two summers from now. Your grandmother and I will organize it all for you," Lucius commented as if they hadn't just denied them being a couple.

Astoria chuckled sarcastically, "There won't be any wedding planning yet, they haven't even finished school!"

••••

Scorpius: 'you should hear lucius'

Scorpius: 'oh merlin save me!!!!!'

Albus: 'whats he saying ?'

Scorpius: 'he's trying to plan shay and i's wedding ahhh'

Albus: 'aw'

Albus: 'goals'

Scorpius: 'hey don't act jealous you have no right'

Scorpius: '1. you said shay could come'

Scorpius: '2. we've denied our relationship many man y ma nnnyy times and he wont buy it'

Scorpius: 'would you rather me tell him I'm gay and dating a POTTER????'

Albus: 'yes'

Scorpius: 'okay bye love you see you in hell then cause he'll fucking avada kadavra me till im nothing left but dUST'

Albus: 'babe no'

Scorpius: 'babe yes'

Scorpius: 'that's what will happen i guarantee you'

Albus: 'pls dont die i dont know what id do without you my love'

Scorpius started typing out his response but stopped as he felt eyes watching him. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see his grandmother smirk and turn away. His stomach dropped, how much had she seen? He quickly shut his phone off and stuffed it in his back pocket, glancing back at her, but she'd already walked out of the room. 'Fuck ,' Scorpius thought, sending Sheila a panicked look.

••••

"This is a very beautiful city," Sheila commented, admiring the old buildings that lined the street.

"It is pretty gorgeous," Scorpius agreed, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he walked along side Sheila. He and Albus used to just take long strolls down these streets when they'd come.

"Where are we eating again?" Sheila asked as they passed a small pastry shop, the delicious looking sweets lining the windows.

"It's called Madame Adelaide's. It's Al and I's favorite," Scorpius explained.

"Oh yes," Sheila nodded, "You were telling me about it on the way here."

"Yeah, the owner, Adelaide, knows Albus and I. She's lovely. She'll probably ask where he is," he chuckled.

"Yeah," Sheila laughed awkwardly. "Why did you want me to come and not him?" she asked after a moment.

"We're in kind of a rough patch? We both agreed that we needed space," Scorpius shrugged.

Sheila frowned, "You seemed fine when we were hanging out at your house..."

"Yeah, I mean we are fine. We've been working through it. We just spent, what? A month and a half cooped up together in his house, sharing his bed after also spending the past five months or so of school attached at the hip, we just needed space. I think living together pushed us over the line," Scorpius explained as they continued to walk and enjoy the nice weather.

"You've always been so good together though," Sheila still had a frown plastered across her face.

"We are good. Promise. We had our fight and talked it out and now we are okay," Scorpius assured.

"You fought? I didn't know about this? When?" Sheila pushed.

Scorpius' eyebrows furrowed together as he thought, "Two weeks ago? It was when I was still with the Potter's. He kind of blew up at me - and I mean he had a right to... We ignored each other for good a couple days, then made up at one o'clock in the morning and had some pretty good make-up sex, not gonna lie," Scorpius laughed as Sheila shoved him.

"I don't know if I want to hear about your sex," Sheila playfully glared at him.

"You're the one who was offended that I didn't tell you that I hadn't lost my virginity until like a month ago," Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Well that's a big fucking deal!" Sheila laughed.

Scorpius just laughed along as they rounded the corner, "Are you ready to see the French version of Hogsmead?"

"Oh yes! I'm so ready I bet it's super cute," Sheila nodded eagerly.

Scorpius led them down alley and pushed open one of the building's side doors which led to a small pub, wizards and witches scattered around like the Leaky Cauldron. Sheila followed him through the pub and through another door which led straight out to a little town, bustling with more wizards and witches.

"This city has the biggest magical population in France besides Paris. That's why after the war, my grandparents came here specifically," Scorpius explained as the two of them strolled down the cute cobbled path through crooked wizarding homes and shops. "The reason it's basically France's Hogsmead is because about a mile from here is Beauxbatons and like us, the students get to come here on the weekends every once in a while. You can't see the school from the city though because they have it hidden in the mountains. It's really beautiful though, Grandmother has given me a tour," Scorpius explained happily.

"A tour? Wow! What does she do?" Sheila asked.

"She works part time as the school nurse. Not for the money of course, but for something to do and to get her out of the house," Scorpius chuckled.

"That's actually pretty cool," Sheila smiled, looking around at the mismatched, ancient buildings again. "Speaking of your grandmother, why did you look so nervous earlier when she was standing behind you?"

"Oh yeah... I was texting Albus and I'm pretty positive she saw all the texts," Scorpius huffed.

"Were the texts bad?" Sheila asked.

"Well, no, not like dirty or anything, she probably just knows I'm gay now is all," Scorpius shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. But on the inside he was panicking and Sheila knew he was too.

"Can I see the texts?" Sheila asked, holding out her hand for the phone.

Scorpius pulled his phone out and opened his and Albus' messages for her. He watched her as she read through them.

"They're not too bad, I wouldn't worry, honestly," Sheila assured, handing him back his phone, "I doubt she could have read too much, and if so, if she confronts you just say it was a joke or something," she suggested.

Scorpius merely nodded in agreement.

They walked about two more blocks until they stopped and Scorpius led Sheila into a quaint little cafe with a fancy sign above the door that sparkled and read, 'Madame Adelaide's'.

There was a maximum of ten other people in there, but it was four o'clock so it was no surprise. Scorpius walked up the glass counter where some of the most fancy desserts were on display.

"Bonjour Madeleine," Scorpius greeted the young girl behind the counter with a big smile who seemed to be in her early twenties.

She looked at him skeptically for a moment before she lit up in realization, "Scorpius! 'ello! 'ow are you? Wait, wait! I must go get mama!" she quickly turned around and dashed through the door.

"Who's that?" Sheila asked quietly.

"That is Madame Adelaide's youngest daughter, Madeleine," Scorpius explained.

Suddenly the light wooden door clattered open and a plump woman with her greying-brown hair tied back in a bun burst through, "Scorpius!" she spotted him immediately and squished his face in her hands, "'ow are you my boy? Your grandmama has not stopped by in a few weeks, 'ow is she doing? I had no idea if you were even coming to see me!" she didn't even give Scorpius time to answer the questions.

"I'm swell," Scorpius chuckled, "and she's doing good as well."

"Oh good, darling, that's wonderful," she patted his cheek. "Now where is Albus? Did he not come?" she asked worriedly.

"No, no, he didn't come this time, but I brought my friend Sheila instead," he pulled Sheila forward to properly greet her.

Madame Adelaide shook her hand strongly, "Why 'ello my dear, you are very beautiful, have you been here before?" she asked.

"No," Sheila shook her head, "This is my first time here in France."

Adelaide lit up, "Oh darling, 'en you must try this! Follow me, follow me," she waved the two on to follow her behind the counter and into the very back where all the pastries and breads were being made by hand.

"It smells wonderful in here," Sheila commented, inhaling deeply to capture the aroma.

••••

"I want to get a tattoo," Scorpius said as they passed a tattoo parlor.

"Pardon?" Sheila asked. She'd heard him but was just suprised.

"I want to get a tattoo," Scorpius repeated seriously.

"And I want to jump off a cliff," Sheila replied sarcastically.

"I'm serious," Scorpius frowned slightly. Sheila looked between him and the tattoo parlor. It wasn't sketchy like some you saw in London.

"Why are you just now deciding this?" she wondered. "Do you want to make your father actually murder you? Is that what you're after?"

"Actually yeah," Scorpius laughed, "Come on, you could get your nose pierced, I know you've always wanted to."

"What tattoo would you get?" Sheila asked as they slowly turned around to go back to the parlor.

"What do you think about the Scorpio constellation?" he asked.

"Cliche, but sick," she replied. "But how are we going to get it? Don't you need parental consent if you're under eighteen?"

"Sheila, I don't know if you know this, but there's this charm called 'Confundus', and a charm is something witches and wizards can do-" she whacked him, rolling her eyes and he just laughed, following her into the tattoo parlor.

••••

Draco pulled Narcissa into the kitchen to speak with her privately. "Mother, I need to talk to you because I need your help and advice," Draco admitted.

"What is it dear? What do you need?" She asked sincerely, looking up at her son with caring eyes.

"When Scorpius got back from Hogwarts in June, we had a big argument," he started to explain.

Narcissa hummed, "Does that explain why you two are acting so reserved towards each other?"

Draco nodded, then proceeded to finish his initial story, "We argued because he... he told me that he was gay..." Draco looked down at his shoes, "and I told him to get out of my house and that he couldn't be my son..."

A deep frown covered Narcissa's face, "Now why in the world would you do that?"

"Because I panicked, and I don't understand why he would choose that for himself," Draco tried.

"Draco, he's your son no matter who he is attracted to. I can't believe you'd kick him out for that, you're too much like your father for your own good," she tsked.

"I'm trying to understand and be hospitable towards him but I-I don't know how..." Draco gave his mother a pleading look.

"What do you mean, you don't know how? He's still the same person he has always been. You need to communicate with him that you want to be there for him," Narcissa crossed her arms over her chest.

"But I have so many questions for him and there's so much I don't understand that I don't even know where or how to start communicating with him. It's like we are in two separate worlds and I can't get a hold of him," he expressed. He'd had a similar conversation with Astoria a while ago but she had called him selfish and a terrible father.

Narcissa sighed, "Why is it suddenly so difficult to speak with him? Like I said, he hasn't changed and he is still Scorpius. He's still your son who enjoys reading, history of magic, and the color pink. He's always been gay, you just hadn't known until recently. Talking to him shouldn't be any more work than it used to be now that you know he fancies boys."

Draco adverted his gaze back to his shoes as he thought about what his mother just told him.

"You'll talk to him, won't you?" she asked and he just nodded. That was enough for her and she walked out of the kitchen, her dark robes waving behind her thin frame.

••••

Narcissa knocked on the door to the room that Scorpius was staying in, "May I come in?"

"Yes, go ahead," Scorpius' voice called from the other side.

Narcissa pushed the door open to see Sheila and Scorpius casually sitting on the bed, chatting away.

"Hello Grandmother, have you come to say goodnight?" Scorpius asked.

"I have, but first I'd like to speak with my grandson, if you don't mind," Narcissa looked at Sheila who shook her head and stood up quickly.

"No, I certainly do not mind. Goodnight Scorpius, Narcissa," she smiled politely as she stepped out of the room.

Narcissa sat down on the edge of the bed, patting Scorpius' leg. "How were the shops today?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, busy like usual. We saw Madame Adelaide and she gave us some pastries," Scorpius smiled.

"Oh good, I haven't had time to visit her recently. We need to go for tea," she chuckled. "Anyways, what I really came here to talk about was this boyfriend of yours."

Scorpius nearly choked, "Boyfriend, what? How-how did you know?"

"Darling, I know things," Narcissa shook her head seriously and Scorpius flushed.

"Oh, er well what do you want to know?" He asked shyly.

"What's his name?" she prompted.

"Um actually it's Albus, I'm dating Albus Potter," Scorpius bit his lip worriedly.

A smile grew on Narcissa's face, "There was always something special between you two. How long have you been together?"

"One year and seven months," Scorpius replied, knowing the number off the top of his head easily.

"You were dating the last time you came to visit?" she asked and Scorpius nodded, a smirk growing on his lips. "How did I not catch that?" she gasped making Scorpius laugh. "Are you happy with him?" she asked seriously, after they'd had a small laugh.

"Yes, very happy. I've never felt this way with anyone, ever," Scorpius admitted, talking softly. Narcissa smiled warmly and held her grandson's hand.

"I'm happy that you have found someone like that. I wish I could experience falling in love all over again," she sighed. "Albus is a good boy, I want you to take care of each other."

Scorpius nodded, "We will grandma. He says hello by the way."

"Tell him that I miss him and he needs to come next time. Don't get me wrong though, I love Sheila, she is a lovely girl," she assured.

"Yeah, she is pretty great," Scorpius chuckled. "She'd never been to France so I decided the give her a chance to come," he explained.

"How thoughtful of you," she patted his cheek.

"I made sure Albus was okay with it first of course. I didn't want him to be jealous or anything," he admitted, "but he was cool with it and we needed a break anyways."

"A break?" Narcissa inquired.

"Er, yeah, I'd kind of been staying with the Potter's for a while..." Scorpius looked down and fiddled with the blanket that was draped over his lap.

"Ah. You're father told me about your... disagreement."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "It was more than a disagreement."

"He wants to be on your side, you know?" Narcissa patted her grandson's leg comfortingly.

"He doesn't act like it," Scorpius refused to make eye contact.


	9. you

"Be quiet, Dumbo," Scorpius giggled.

"Sorry," Sheila mouthed, her cheeks a light tint of pink. She set Albus' hamper back up and put his dirty clothes back in it. "Hey, isn't this yours?" she whispered, holding up a Arctic Monkeys shirt that had fallen out of the hamper when she tripped over it.

Scorpius studied it for a moment, "Bastard stole it."

Sheila laughed and tossed it back in. She then made her way over to Scorpius and helped set up the camera, "How much longer do you think they can hold him off?" Sheila wondered aloud.m referring to Jonah and Rose who were supposed to be preventing Albus from coming into his room while they set up the camera.

Just then, as if on cue, there were footsteps on the stairs and Albus' voice echoing through the hall.

"Rose, just let me go to my room, I'm tired," he whined.

"No!" Rose said in a panicked voice.

"Why not?" Albus accused, and in Scorpius' mind he could see Albus' eyebrows furrowed together in a glare.

"'Cause there's... I-I want to..."

"Rose, I swear on Dumbledore's grave, if you've booby trapped me-"

"No! No, we didn't, I promise," Jonah assured.

"Just-just wait a moment please," Rose begged.

"I'm loosing my patience," he was tapping his foot impatiently, his arms crossed over his chest. "That's it I'm going in."

Scorpius watched as he pushed the door open and froze in his tracks, "Scorpius!" Albus ran straight towards his boyfriend, launching himself at the blonde. He wrapped his legs tightly around the blond's torso, and his arms around his neck.

Scorpius held onto the tan boy as tightly as he could, soaking up the joyous feeling Albus brought upon him. He was so glad to be back in his boyfriends arms.

"You're back early!" Albus squealed.

"Yeah! I wanted to surprise you," Scorpius chuckled, letting his eyes flutter shut as Albus pulled away from his neck and attached their lips.

"I'm so happy you're back," Albus smiled against the blond's lips.

"Thanks! Love you too," Sheila replied sarcastically from her spot next to Rose and Jonah by the door.

Albus dropped back to the floor and took Scorpius' face between his hands only to pull him back into a kiss. They kissed for several moments and the other three let them have their time, quietly snickering about how attached they were to each other.

Eventually they pulled apart and Scorpius stepped away, "There's something I want to show you."

Albus gave him a curious look as Scorpius went to take off his shirt. He tossed the shirt on to the bed and turned around to show Albus his scorpio tattoo. It covered his whole back, but they were thin precise lines with a very minimalistic look.

A gasp came out of Albus' mouth. He covered his mouth with one hand while the other went to brush over the tattoo. "Is it real?"

"Yeah," Scorpius replied, "Do you like it?"

"Yes! Can I touch it?" Albus replied enthusiastically.

"Go ahead," the blonde chuckled.

Albus traced the constellation softly and mumbled, "Holy shit..." as he admired his boyfriends back.

••••

"Wait, there's one more present," Scorpius interjected, placing one last present in front of Albus just like they'd planned.

Albus' heart started picking up pace, he couldn't believe he was about to do this.

"Who's it from?" Albus wondered aloud, reading the little tag on top. All that was written was a winky face. "Scorpius!" Albus chuckled, "Thanks babe, I told you you didn't have to," Albus smiled up at his boyfriend, daring to say 'babe,' not sure if anyone even noticed. Scorpius gave him a cheeky smile in return.

Albus quickly glanced around at his family and friends. Aunt Hermione was filming - she had been filming the whole party thus far for Ginny. Sheila also had her phone up, probably taking snapchats. His whole family stood around, thinking positively of him. Would they still think that in a couple of minutes after he came out? His cousins already knew, but they were more accepting about these things and had already had time to digest it. But the adults on the other hand... they were different. They had slightly different views and also more authority...

"Go on then, open it already," Scorpius urged, sensing the inkling of hesitance that Albus possessed.

Albus lifted off the lid and pulled back the colorful tissue paper. He grabbed the gay flag, his palms sweating, "Oh! I've been wanting one of these!" He pulled it out of the box, rainbow colors flashing in front of him, "Now I can show everyone how gay I am," he laughed, adrenaline pumping through every inch of him. "Thanks, love," Albus placed his hand on Scorpius' shoulder, pulling him down into a kiss.

Scorpius was beaming, "You did it," he breathed as they pulled apart.

"Yeah," Albus laughed airily. Sheila and Rose cheered. Jonah, James and Fred II whooped.

••••

After opening the presents and chatting with Albus' family, Scorpius left Albus to speak with his father alone, slouching down at the table next to Rose, Sheila, and Jonah. He couldn't wipe the dopey smile off his face. He was in love! Albus was the one, he was sure of it. He loved that boy to bits.

"What's got you smiling like the Joker?" Jonah asked.

"Al promise you a good shag?" Rose teased, pinching his cheek. Scorpius swatted her hand away shaking his head.

"Well I've been thinking recently," Scorpius spoke, "and I want you guys to tell me if this is totally insane..." he glanced over at Albus who was still conversing with Harry.

"Go on then, tell us," Sheila urged, sitting to the edge of her seat.

Scorpius took a breath and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, "I want to ask Albus to marry me."

The other three were shocked in silence for a moment, their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide.

"That's insane, Scorpius-"

"Definitely insane-"

"Totally insane-"

Scorpius' face fell, "But he's the one, I know it."

"Scorpius, you can't make impulse decisions like that," Rose shook her head violently.

"You're only seventeen for Dumbledores sake!" Sheila cried.

"Mate, you have one year of school left, just wait, please, for the love of Merlin," Jonah gave him a serious look.

Scorpius frowned, "You said you wanted to marry Caroline, why are Albus and I any different?"

"Mate, I didn't actually say I was going to propose!"

"We're still kids, Scorp, what if you change your mind?" Sheila reached over and took the blondes hand, squeezing it.

"I'm not going to change my mind about Albus, I know that for sure," Scorpius replied.

"And he's not going to change his mind on you either," Rose assured. "A promise ring would be more reasonable."

"But I don't want just a promise..." Scorpius said, defeat obvious in his tone.

"I just want you to think this through, mate," Jonah responded from across the table, "Marriage is a big fucking deal and it takes a lot of responsibility and money and stuff. Stuff only adults should worry about, and like Shay said, we're still kids."

"He's got a point..." Rose sighed.

Scorpius pulled his hand away from Sheila to rub his eyes. He glanced over where Harry and Al had been standing to see only Ginny and Harry there, no sight of Albus.

"I'm going to go find Al," Scorpius announced, starting to stand up.

"If I find out you proposed to him, I'm gonna whoop your ass," Rose threatened.

"I'm not-" he groaned, "I'm not going to propose... I don't have a ring, it was merely an idea and you lot shot it down. Don't worry," he sighed disappointedly, walking off towards the house.

"That's definitely insane, right? I'm not just being a horrible friend?" Rose asked the other two who nodded furiously in agreement.

••••

Albus, who was on top of Scorpius, straddling his hips, sat back as Scorpius pushed his hands up Albus' torso, lifting his shirt over his head. Albus tossed the shirt to the ground and immediately went back to kissing Scorpius. Scorpius ran his hands through Al's unruly black hair, kissing him hard. He then pushed Albus off him and pinned him to the mattress, switching their positions. They both worked to remove Scorpius' shirt with him still leaning over Albus. Scorpius kissed Al's neck and Albus arched his back in pleasure, wanting to feel physically closer to him. Before Scorpius could make a love bite, Albus pushed him away, and groaned, "No hickies on my neck."

Scorpius hesitantly obliged, trailing kisses down his collarbones to his chest, giving Albus a hickey on his collarbone. Scorpius kissed Albus on the mouth one more time before sitting back again to pull off Albus' trousers.

They were both completely absorbed in each other, not caring about Albus' open bedroom door. Ginny had set some rules after she found out the two had been dating, the biggest one being that they had to keep his bedroom door open if they were to be in there alone.

Albus slid his hands under Scorpius' pants, gripping his bum to pull them closer together.

The two almost jumped out of their skin as Albus' mum interrupted their make out session.

"Excuse me," she cleared her throat and the boys sprang apart. Albus pulled the sheets up to his chest and Scorpius scrambled for his shirt which was barely a few feet away.

"Go away mum!" Albus groaned.

"I want you two in the kitchen in two minutes!" she shouted as she walked out

Ginny sat the boys down at the table and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Albus was avoiding eye contact and Scorpius was staring at his lap intensely. Both of their cheeks were flushed in embarrassment and from their previous activities.

"Albus, you know my rules," she started, "and don't think I'm going to let you slide just because you two already slipped under my radar for the majority of the summer and nothing happened."

As if synced, Albus and Scorpius glanced at each other, sharing the same look, making Ginny roll her eyes, "Okay, something did happen. I was stupid to think otherwise," she shook her head and Albus chuckled in agreement.

"I can't say no boys in your room like I said no girls in James' room, and obviously saying that you have to keep your door open didn't stop you at all-" Scorpius snickered and Albus softly kicked his heel. "I'm going to say you two can't be alone in the same room."

Albus, who hadn't thought that the punishment would be that bad, scoffed, "Mum! Are you kidding? That's totally unfair! It's not like the only thing we do in there is shag each other, plus neither of us are going to get pregnant!" he blurted.

"Who's pregnant?" Lily asked casually as she skipped into the kitchen.

"I'm pregnant," Albus replied.

"Aw, congratulations!" Lily cooed, "Is it a boy or girl?"

"It's whatever gender it wants to be," Scorpius spoke.

"Well good for you guys and your non-binary child," Lily laughed.

Ginny shook her head, not really in the mood for a joke, "Lily, what do you need dear? I'm trying to have a serious conversation with the boys."

"Oh, sorry, I was just coming to show you something but it can wait," she waved her hand dismissively.

Ginny was about to reply when Harry walked in, "Merlin, does everyone just gravitate towards me?" she mumbled.

"I came looking for everyone. The house seems a lot quieter without James," Harry commented.

"It's nice," Lily smirked.

"Lily, you can show me whatever it is in a minute, I'm almost done with these two," Ginny sighed, pushing her hair behind her ear.

Lily sulked out of the room and Harry sat down next to Ginny, asking what the boys had done.

"I walked in on them half naked on Al's bed," she explained, a disappointed look on her face.

Harry sighed, "So no boys in his room, like James?"

"No, I figured that that was kind of stupid considering he is male himself. I decided that they won't be allowed to be alone in his room. He says that's not fair," Ginny explained further.

"What if we're just filming a video or something?" Albus asked, trying not to whine so his mother wouldn't nag him about it.

"Coming from the point of view of a teenager, that does seem a bit unfair, but as a parent I see it as; we gave you a chance by saying you just have to keep the door open, but you ruined that chance and now we must take bigger measures," Harry expressed.

Albus huffed, slouching down in his seat, "I don't even see why this is such a big deal to you guys in the first place. Like I said, we're not getting pregnant, and we're not spreading any diseases... I don't understand the big whoop."

Ginny frowned, "You're still children Albus, you're our children, and sex is a very adult thing that is not something to treat as casually as you teenagers do."

"Mum, I'm seventeen now, I don't even have the Trace on me and neither does Scorpius. We can make our own decisions. You keeping us from going in my room alone is not going to keep us from doing anything," Albus replied as calmly as he could.

Ginny sighed and rubbed her head in stress, "I know honey, but your father and I..." she glanced at her husband for help, "we just..."

"We just don't want you to grow up," Harry finished for her, "and we know that it's not going to stop you completely. We understand that you are young and have temptations, so please, if-er when you do engage in such activities, do it safely. Use protection charms - or even muggle forms of protection - and make sure the other person consents. Both of you, even if you're with someone besides each other," Harry finished.

"I know-we know," Albus responded.

Harry and Ginny exchanged looks and she waved them off, "Get out of here. Don't make stupid decisions."

Albus let out a sigh of relief and anxiously pushed away from the table, hurrying out of the kitchen.

"Jesus fuck, that was so awkward," Albus groaned once they were out of earshot of his parents.

Scorpius laughed in agreement, "It was, but it's over now," he softly pecked Albus' lips. "I should probably head home for tonight; it's nearly six and my parents will want me home for dinner."

Albus pouted, wrapping his arms around Scorpius' waist and pulling him closer, "Don't go."

Scorpius rested his arms around Albus' neck and kissed him again, "I have to stay on my fathers good side. Maybe you could come and I could introduce you as my boyfriend," he suggested.

"That wouldn't keep you on your dads good side," Albus pointed out.

Scorpius shrugged, "He's going to have to know eventually, isn't he?"

••••

September first was creeping around the corner, they were due to get their Hogwarts letters soon and Scorpius still hadn't told his mother and father that he and Albus were dating. He knew he'd have to, he just kept pushing off. He could tell Albus was affected by it but didn't want to say anything. Scorpius knew his mother would be fine with it but he still wasn't on the best terms with his father. They'd definitely worked through the hard stuff and they could have normal conversations, but there was always this stiffness to Draco's words and actions towards him.

Astoria found Scorpius curled up in a chair with a book in their library. She rested against the chair's arm rest and spoke softly, "Hello darling, this is random, but I just wanted to warn you that your father might be asking you some... uncomfortable questions tonight at dinner."

Scorpius looked up at her with a confused expression, "Uncomfortable questions? Like what?"

"Like about your sexuality," she replied awkwardly and the confused look on her sons face remained.

"Should I be scared? Or?"

"No, no, no, I think you can handle it, I just wanted you to be warned. He was asking me somethings and I told him he'd have to ask you," she explained.

"But they were bad enough that you had to warn me?" he asked skeptically.

"Darling, it'll be alright," she patted his cheek, "Dinner should be ready in twenty, don't be late," she stood up and walked out before Scorpius could question anything else.

He attempted to go back to his book, but he couldn't focus. He left his book on the chair and wondered into the living room.

The Malfoy Manor was large and empty, empty as in there were only three of them, plus a house elf making it feel even larger and even lonelier. He could wander for hours and never run into a living being. At times it was nice when Scorpius wanted to be alone, but times like now when he missed Albus and his family all bustling about in their large but cozy home. With so many people all the time, the house didn't seem so lonely. It also didn't help that everything in the Manor seemed to be dull grey and emerald green. His room was the only bright colored place in the house. The Potter's house on the other hand, had bright comfy furniture, family pictures and paintings from when the kids were younger hanging on the walls. Each room was unique and didn't have a specific style or theme. It was very homely and the complete opposite from the Manor, to Scorpius at least.

He decided right then that when he got married and Draco was to give him the Manor, he wouldn't take it. He didn't want his children growing up in this old, dusty place.

He got lost in thought trying to imagine him and Albus all grown up, raising kids in a nice home like the Potter's, and didn't even notice his father sit down next to him on the couch.

"Oh, hi," Scorpius mumbled, glancing down at his fuzzy blue socks that Albus had gotten him as a Christmas present a few years ago.

Draco gave him a polite smile, "Your mother said she just spoke with you..."

"Yeah, she said you had some questions? What was that about?" Scorpius asked, pulling at a loose string on his sock.

"Oh, yeah..." Draco ducked his head for a moment, "I've just been thinking, and I know it's probably rude and completely random-"

"Just ask me," Scorpius chuckled, never having seen his father this flustered or embarrassed before.

"Okay, uh when two guys... engage sexually..."

"Yes..." Scorpius prompted, feeling the embarrassment already start to creep over him.

"How does... how does it work exactly?" Draco asked.

"Merlin's beard, dad!" Scorpius mumbled, burring his face in his hands to hide his embarrassment.

"I'm sorry! You don't have to answer! Forget I said anything," Draco replied hurriedly.

"No... I just-it wasn't what I was expecting is all," Scorpius admitted, bringing his head up.

"See! You're all red, I knew this would be too embarrassing," Draco shook his head.

Scorpius laughed, his body not sure how else to react, "I think it's just ironic because you're the one who's supposed to be telling me how everything works."

"I know, I'm sorry I put you in this situation, I was just curious-it's not important-"

"No, dad, it's okay I didn't really know how it all worked until just recently, actually," he admitted.

Astoria watched them fondly from the door way, a hot cup of tea in her hands. She was beyond glad to see them finally laughing together and getting along, it was a big needed step. They had been so standoffish towards each other, but nonetheless she was glad to have Scorpius back.

"And the other thing I wanted to ask you was, do you have a boyfriend? Or a love interest?" Draco asked.

Scorpius bit his lip and glanced down again, "Ehm, yes..." he mumbled and Draco perked up.

"Really? Do I know him?" Scorpius kept his bottom lip between his teeth as he simply nodded in response. "Well...? What's his name? Is he in your year? A Ravenclaw as well?" Scorpius just nodded. "Are you just going to nod or shake your head to everything I ask?" Draco teased. Scorpius just laughed and nodded.

"Alright then," Draco thought for a moment, "If he's a Ravenclaw in your year, there's only four people it could be." Scorpius nodded.

"Have I met him before?" Draco asked, knowing that'd narrow it down to Jonah and Albus. Nod. The look on Draco's face told Scorpius that he knew. "It's Albus, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Scorpius attempted to suppress the blush that crept up his neck to his cheeks.

"He's a good kid," Draco ruffled his sons hair, "I'm happy if you're happy."

"Oh yes, I'm very happy with him," Scorpius nodded enthusiastically and Draco smiled.

"Well good, you deserve it." Scorpius beamed. Draco rolled his eyes fondly and opened his arms, "Come here, we can't have a father-son bonding moment without hugging."

Scorpius laughed and leaned into his father, grateful to be on this good of terms with his dad again. Draco patted his back and Scorpius pulled away.

"Alright boys, no more kissing! Dinner's ready and you better get your butt's in here," Astoria called. They all chuckled as the guys got up and followed Astoria into the dining room.


	10. anobrain

"What a wonderful thing, we're barely back to Hogwarts one day and they've already got this weeks Dragon out," Sheila dropped the magazine in front of Albus. Rose snatched it from across the table before anyone else could.

"Read the horoscopes," Jonah suggested, leaning over Rose's shoulder to see the magazine.

"Alright, Aries," Rose jokingly cleared her throat as she prepared to read Jonah's horoscope for the next year. "'This year won't be all peaches and cream, as you will struggle to find your footing. Fear not, though, fiery Aries, because although you have some family-related obligations that directly conflict with events that you've been looking forward to for what seems like forever, it's not always your way or the highway. There is definitely a middle ground, you just have to find it. Compromises can be reached under the right circumstances, so give other people the chance to make a suggestion every once in a while.'"

"Family obligations? What's that meant to mean?" Sheila wondered and Jonah shrugged cluelessly.

"What's yours, Rose?" Albus prodded, trying to reach for the magazine. Rose yanked it away and found her horoscope to read.

"'For you Libra, the next four months may present challenges in areas of finance and relationships. Hastily-made decisions regarding love and money affect your overall well-being, so avoid hurrying yourself if possible. The lesson here is to slow down, take your time, and not rush into anything. If the timing isn't right, maybe what you're chasing just isn't meant to be.' Hmm, I wonder what that entails?" She glanced at Albus and he smirked.

"You're gonna find you a new man," he winked.

"But she's going to make hasty decisions!" Scorpius pointed out and they all laughed, Rose continued to read the others yearly horoscopes.

••••

"It's nice being the only ones with a class off," Albus mumbled, mindlessly brushing Scorpius' cheek.

Scorpius just hummed in agreement, leaning into Albus' touch ever so slightly. "'Cause now we have the whole dorm to ourselves and we can do whatever we want," he smirked lazily.

"Thanks Captain Obvious, it's not like that's what I was implying with my previous statement," Albus replied sarcastically, shaking his head.

"No, not at all," Scorpius whispered, smirking as he pressed their lips together softly.

Albus gently kissed back, letting his hand trail up through Scorpius' soft blonde hair.

Albus let Scorpius escalate the kiss. Scorpius climbed on top of Albus, having been a bit restricted by laying on their sides facing each other. The thin sheets from Albus' bed still covered them as Scorpius felt up Albus' shirt and started grinding his hips on Al's.

"Fuck, Hugo was right," Scorpius breathed heavily into their kiss.

"Right about what?" Albus asked, confusion written on his face as he twisted his hand in the front of Scorpius' shirt while the blonde kissed his neck.

"That once you start having sex you don't want to stop," Albus could feel Scorpius' breath on his now sensitive neck as he talked and shivered slightly.

Albus rolled his eyes, pushing away from Scorpius slightly, "When did he say that?" he questioned.

"A while ago, I don't know," Scorpius shrugged, holding himself above Albus.

Al shook his head slightly, smiling up at his boyfriend. He reached up and pushed his hand through Scorpius' hair, brushing it out of his eyes.

"What, you don't agree?" Scorpius asked, admiring the boy below him, watching his face change in response to their conversation.

"I mean maybe at first, I'm just not in the mood at the moment," Albus shrugged, watching as Scorpius' eyes scanned his face.

Scorpius' lazy smile faltered slightly, and he leaned down and softly nipped at Al's ear and whispered, "But I really want you to fuck me right now." Albus squirmed at the thought. "You haven't topped in a while," Scorpius lightly scraped his teeth over the shell of Albus' ear as he pulled away.

Albus had pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and took note as Scorpius gave him a lustful look. "That's tempting, but I'm not in the mood," Albus turned away.

"I could get you in the mood," Scorpius tried, trailing his hand down Albus' clothed torso to his thigh where he massaged it dangerously close to his crotch.

"Noo," Albus whined softly, pulling his knee up to push Scorpius' hand away, "Besides, we don't have enough time until everyone is done with class."

"We can be quick," Scorpius offered, kissing down his cheek to his jaw, causing Albus to turn his head away. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing! I just would rather cuddle and make out right now," Albus replied, frowning deeply.

Scorpius sighed, "Fine." He laid back down on his side. Albus turned over to face Scorpius.

"Sorry love," Albus brushed his hand softly over his cheek.

••••

Jonah was set on getting Sheila comfortable with his girlfriend, Caroline, so that's how they all ended up chilling in the Room of Requirement, eating junk food and switching between playing Never Have I Ever (without alcohol) and watching random movies on Rose's laptop.

"Never have I ever..." Jonah thought for a moment, "Had sex in a car."

They all glanced around the circle as Scorpius and Albus shamefully both took a finger away.

"What? Albus? When?" Rose asked, completely shocked. She hadn't even noticed Scorpius.

"This summer?" Albus replied.

"What the fuck? Isn't like cramped and awkward?" Jonah asked, "I've always imagined it would be."

"A bit, but it's not that bad," Scorpius replied, then added, "Not that I remember much of it," he mumbled.

"Let's not embarrass the boys any more," Caroline chuckled, noticing Scorpius' cheeks tinted pink.

Rose was next and thought for a moment, "Never have I ever had sex while high and/or drunk."

"What the hell? Is everyone like out to get us?" Albus asked as he, Scorpius and Sheila both tucked a finger away.

"How would I know that you've done that?!" Rose gasped.

Albus shrugged, throwing his hand in the air, not sure what to say.

"Wait were you high or drunk?" Sheila asked Albus and Scorpius curiously, "'Cause I've had drunk sex and it's not bad," she shrugged shamelessly.

"We stole some of James' weed when we borrowed his car," Albus admitted.

"Damn," Jonah laughed, "Fucking legends. Scorpius, you're next."

"Never have I ever thought about sleeping with a professor," Scorpius smirked at Rose.

Rose became flustered, "I mentioned it once, Scorpius! That was supposed to be confidential."

Caroline and Sheila burst out laughing, "WHO?" Albus asked excitedly.

"I'm not going to say!" Rose protested, shaking her head.

"Awh, come on! You must," Caroline insisted. "No one is going to say anything. We're all admitting things we don't want to."

Rose huffed stubbornly, "Alright fine, but you lot have to promise not to tell a soul."

"We promise," Albus assured.

"My bet is it's Professor Harborne," Sheila smirked knowingly.

Rose went red in the cheeks, "Yes... But it was a one time thing, I swear!"

"Sure," Scorpius chuckled and she hit his arm.

"In her defense, he is pretty fit for a teacher," Albus commented and Scorpius gave him a look that said, 'really?' making Sheila and Rose laugh.

"He's young and funny, of course you'd want to bang him," Caroline chuckled and Jonah shook his head.

"Scorpius, let's go fight Harborne right now for stealing our girlfriend and boyfriend," he spoke.

"Okay, I'm in," Scorpius chuckled as Albus hit his arm, rolling his eyes.

"Albus your turn for a Never Have I Ever," Rose averted the topic.

"I can't think of any," Al groaned. Scorpius leaned over and whispered on in his ear. "Oh, good one. Never have I ever had a threesome."

"I came here to have a good time and honestly I'm feeling so attacked right now," Sheila spoke, putting away a finger. They all laughed at her comment.

"Who have you had a threesome with?" Jonah asked, surprised.

"Alfie Shastri and Kimberlyn Stretton," Rose smirked.

Albus' jaw dropped, "No way!"

"Thanks for exposing me like that," Sheila shook her head, hiding her smile from Rose.

Rose just laughed, "You're next."

"Never have I ever had phone sex," Sheila spoke instantly, already knowing she wanted to say it.

"Okay - no. You can't say that because you know for a fact that Scorpius and I did while you two were in France, and that was specifically targeted at us-" Albus started rambling.

"No, no, no, Scorpius specifically said his to target me! We've already established that we're targeting people," Rose interrupted Albus' rant.

"Caroline, go," Jonah interrupted them both to keep the game going.

"Never have I ever slept with someone of the same gender-" she then looked over at Albus and Scorpius and tried to rephrase her words, "oh sorry! Er someone of the gender that I'm not attracted to?"

"If we weren't allowed to have all ten fingers, I'd be dead," Albus admitted.

"You've slept with a girl?" Scorpius asked, feeling slightly uneasy at the thought of Albus sleeping with someone else, especially a female. "When?"

"Yes? I thought we've discussed this?" Albus furrowed his eyebrows, "It was before I had even come out, fifth or fourth year I think."

"You lost your virginity to a girl?" Caroline wondered.

Albus nodded, "It was a really confusing time for me. I thought maybe it'd make me like girls more if I tried it. Nope, it actually did the opposite."

"Was is Willa or Marlene?" Jonah asked.

"Willa," Albus nodded. Scorpius shifted uncomfortably next to him. It didn't go unnoticed by Albus who comfortingly rested his hand on Scorpius' thigh and nuzzled his face into Scorpius' neck for a moment while he whispered, "I love you."

"I don't like you talking about that kind of stuff," Scorpius replied quietly.

"I know, but it's just a game," Albus squeezed his thigh and turned back to the others.

"If it makes you feel better, I've had sex with a girl," Sheila offered.

"Someone other than Kymberlyn?" Rose asked curiously.

"Yeah, Flora Garland," Sheila nodded.

"Is she a lesbian?" Caroline asked, surprised.

"Yeah, she's gay," Albus nodded.

"But I'm not," Sheila reminded her, "It was completely experimental," she assured.

"Never have I ever cheated on anyone," Jonah continued the game.

No one took a finger away, but Rose spoke up, "I've been cheated on, does that count?" she asked.

"Eh..." Jonah thought for a moment, "No, you're good. But that sucks." She just nodded in agreement.

"Never have I ever thought about something else during sex," Rose spoke and all the boys groaned slightly.

"Wait, like, someone else, or something else?" Scorpius asked.

"Something else, like anything but the sex you're having," Rose clarified. All three boys, plus Sheila put a finger down.

"Is that like a guy thing or something?" Caroline asked.

"Well, I do it when I'm bored, but I feel like girls always care a little more and are a little more invested in the activity taking place," Sheila explained.

"Bored during sex?" Scorpius asked. "I mean my mind has wandered, but not cause I'm bored..."

"Scorpius, my son, you've only ever been with one person - you're so pure, so naive," Scorpius rolled his eyes. "How would you rank your sex life from 'eh' to 'there's nothing better than fucking'?" Sheila directed her question at Albus and Scorpius.

"There's not a lot that's better than fucking," Albus replied honestly.

"How do you manage to keep up such a good sex life?" Jonah asked as if he was shocked to hear a couple could continuously have good sex.

Albus shrugged, "I don't know mate, a lot of ways I guess..."

"Communication," Scorpius offered, "Like, we talk about things..."

"Isn't that awkward?" Jonah asked with a skeptical expression.

Shaking his head, Albus replied, "No, 'cause then we know what the other enjoys and what they don't, and then we know what to do to make it better the next time."

"I guess we do need better communication with each other," Caroline sighed, looking at Jonah and patting his knee. Jonah nodded in reply to his girlfriend.

"Hey, Sheila, can I ask you something?" Albus awkwardly cleared his throat, getting Sheila's attention.

"Yeah sure," Sheila shrugged.

"Do you fancy my brother?" he asked hesitantly.

"Um," she mumbled, looking down at her phone that she fiddled with in her lap, "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to be honest with me, instead of going behind my back," he replied making the atmosphere of the circle change to more serious rather than lighthearted and dirty.

Sheila waited for a long moment before answering, "Yes, I do fancy James."

Albus glanced down, "Do you guys... have a thing going on?"

Sheila hesitated again, "Yeah.. Kinda... But we weren't going to continue it if it made you uncomfortable."

Albus faltered slightly, "No... not uncomfortable, I'm mostly just upset that you went behind my back and didn't tell me."

"I mean it is kind of awkward to have one of your best friends dating your bother," Caroline spoke, not sure if it was the right thing to say.

"Your dad did it with my dad's sister," Rose gestured to Albus.

"Ooh! I should owl Ron so we can talk about how much we can relate to each other!" Albus joked and they all laughed.

••••

A squeaky voice with a heavy Irish accent caught Albus' attention, making him spin around.

"Hi!" A blonde, fourth year spoke excitedly, "I'm Lola Morison! I'm working on an article for The Dragon and I was wondering if you had a minute?"

"Urm, yeah, sure," Albus glanced over his shoulder at his friends who were all still chatting happily before stepping away from them. "What is it that you need?" he smiled kindly.

"You're Albus Potter, right?" She asked. He nodded, "Okay, good 'cause this would be really awkward then," she chuckled, "I'm not very good with faces sorry, but anyways... We are planning on doing a big LGBTQA segment in The Dragon and since you're such a big influence on our community, I was wondering if you could answer some questions about that kind of stuff for me?" She spoke rather quickly and her heavy accent didn't help, but Albus had understood most of what she'd said.

"Yeah, sure. Of course. What would you like to know?" He asked, moving towards the wall to get out of the way of people passing through the corridor. Usually he didn't like interviews and people interrogating him. Mostly because with his father being who he was, Albus and his family grew up in the spotlight with people invading their privacy anytime they went out. Until one day Harry and Ginny dropped everything and moved the family into a decent sized farmhouse in the middle of nowhere and cut themselves off from as much media as they could. Ginny retired from the Holyhead Harpies and started writing for the Prophet to get out of the limelight. Albus was about six years old when all this happened. This was different though, because it was for his school news paper, Lola seemed like a sweet little girl, and it was over a topic he felt strongly about.

Lola flipped open her tiny notebook and quickly charmed her quill. It stood up and began writing as she spoke, "Well my first question is, What do you identify your sexuality as? - oh and if any of these questions are too personal, tell me. You don't have to answer if you don't want," she assured.

Albus chuckled, "Alrighty, sounds good. And I identify as gay. One hundred percent gay."

"Okie dokie, next question, When did you first realize that you were gay?"

"Around the beginning of my fourth year I believe, so almost 3 years ago. I was fourteen," Albus answered.

"What made you realize you weren't attracted to girls?"

"Well, I had a girlfriend around the time, and I realized that I didn't feel comfortable around girls like I did guys. So I started thinking about guys like I tried to about girls and found that it was much nicer," he chuckled.

"Did you feel comfortable telling your friends and family right away that you were gay, or did it take you a long time? Why?" Lola asked the next question.

"It was easy to tell my friends because I knew they were accepting considering Scorpius had already come out and they'd reacted very positively and were completely supportive. My family though, it was a bit harder for me because I wasn't sure where their opinions on the matter stood so I was very hesitant. I actually didn't tell my parents until this summer and they thankfully acted just as positively," Albus smiled, thinking back to the summer and being forever grateful for his supportive parents.

"Awh, that's really nice," Lola smiled back, "My next question is, What advice would you give younger children who are starting to come to terms with their sexuality?"

"Hmm," Albus thought for a moment, "I'd say give it time, don't stress it so much. I know it feels like the end of the world, but trust me it's not. You will find yourself in time, and you will find supportive people along the way. You'll be okay, and even if you feel completely lost, there will always be people there who want to help and guide you," he finished. He hoped that sounded good, he wasn't the best at speaking without a script, or without thinking about it in depth first in situations like this.

"Alright! I think that was it..." She flipped through her notebook quickly, "Thank you!" she said happily.

"Of course!" he replied cheerfully, she then skipped away.

Albus turned around just in time to see Scorpius step towards him, "Hi," he wrapped his arm that wasn't carrying any books around Albus' waist and pulled their bodies flush, "Who was that?" he asked quietly, letting Albus eskimo kiss him in a way that Scorpius knew he was begging for a kiss.

"Lola, she was asking me questions for The Dragon," he replied, then kissed Scorpius, not bothering to plead silently anymore .

Scorpius hummed into the kiss in response, softly pressing Albus against the wall. He pulled away so he could speak again, "I had a girl come ask me questions for that too. I told her about how I've known from day one that I was gay, and how makeup is an art and it should be a normal thing that guys wear it and such," he explained.

"That's nice," Albus played with Scorpius' blue and bronze tie.

"How were your classes?" Scorpius asked casually as Albus leaned against the wall out of his own will now.

"I don't want to answer anymore questions," Albus sighed, tugging on his tie now.

"Alright... What do you want then?" Scorpius cocked an eyebrow at him.

"That's a question," Albus returned a pointed look.

Scorpius rolled his eyes fondly, "Fine. I'll tell you about my classes then."

"Yes, you do that," Albus pushed off the wall and started walking away, still pulling on the blonde's tie, forcing him to follow.


	11. loving someone

The days seemed to be flying by fast and all too soon the air was turning crispy and the leaves were beginning to fall from the trees.

"Did you hear? There's going to be a pride parade in Diagon Alley in two weeks," Sheila interrupted the squads conversation as she sat down at the Ravenclaw table for lunch.

"No? There is?" Rose asked.

"Yes!" Albus chimed in excitedly, "I was just about to tell Scorp that we have to go."

"You'd have to sneak out though," Sheila lowered her voice slightly.

"So?" Albus shrugged.

"You don't care 'cause the last time you didn't get caught," Jonah huffed.

"Yeah, but that's different," Rose shrugged, "At home you get caught by your parents-"

"And get your phone taken away for the school year-" Jonah interrupted.

"You're still salty about that?" Albus asked quietly as Rose continued on.

"-but here you get caught by Filch and bam, you're suspended."

"They wouldn't suspend you," Scorpius frowned. "I mean, sure Filch would want to but come on, people have done much worse..."

"True, but I also don't really care about the consequences-" Albus started.

"Of course you don't," Rose interrupted, "You're like your father."

Albus ignored her and continued on, "I'm going to that parade no matter what. What if that's our one chance? I don't care if I go alone because this means a lot to me and I'm not gonna let some old prune ruin my chance of celebrating my life."

"Amen," Sheila held up her pumpkin juice and then started chugging, making them all burst out laughing at both her and Albus calling Filch an 'old prune'.

••••

Rose eyed Scorpius carefully, "What's up? Why are you so fidgety?"

"No reason," Scorpius answered rather quickly. Rose raised her eyebrows in suspicion, tempting Scorpius to tell the truth. "Oh, alright, fine," he sighed, "But if I tell you, you have to promise to not tell anyone, especially Albus," he warned.

She furrowed her eyebrows, instantly assuming horrible things, "Did you cheat on him?"

Scorpius' eyes went wide, "What? No!? Never!" he shook his head, "It's a surprise for Al is all."

"A surprise? Tell me then," Rose insisted.

Scorpius hesitated, "You can't freak out."

"O...kay..."

Scorpius fumbled around in his bag that was slung over his shoulder and Rose waited patiently. He pulled out a small navy blue velvet box and repeated, "Don't freak out," as he handed it to her.

She gave him a concerned look before carefully taking the box. She lifted the lid to reveal a sleek ring, a silver band with shiny edges. Her eyes widened, "Scorpius, this is really nice... You're not proposing, are you?"

Scorpius shook his head, "No, it's a promise ring. I took into consideration what you guys said at his birthday and I realized you were right. We are way too young, but I've never loved anyone as much as I love Albus... he's my person," Scorpius explained, letting out a long breath of relief from being able to say that. "Please support me on this."

Rose was obviously not on board, "...Support you?"

"Please," he was practically begging, "Why are you so opposed to us? Is there something Albus hasn't told me?"

Rose shook her head, "Not that I know of. But ugh, I don't know! Maybe it's 'cause I don't like commitment, and especially at this young of age?" she threw her hands up in defeat, "Maybe Al will like it! I have no idea, but I really just don't want you to make a stupid mistake!"

"It's not stupid," Scorpius huffed, a frown falling over his face, "It's only a promise ring, Merlin Rose..." he shook his head and grabbed the ring back. "I won't tell you next time."

Scorpius turned to leave and Rose grabbed his arm to stop him, "No, Scorpius, stop. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shoot you down-" Scorpius rolled his eyes at that and opened his bag to hide the ring away. "I think it's a cute idea, I know you guys really love each other. I'm just jealous that I can't find that kind of love, and here it came so easily to you guys," she admitted, glancing down at her feet in shame.

Scorpius sighed, "But it hasn't come that easy to us... We danced around each other for two years, dating other people just because it made the other jealous. We've had a few rows that didn't end well, we even broke up once," Scorpius went on.

"That was pretty bad," Scorpius nodded in agreement, "for everyone, I mean," Rose clarified, referring to a rather rough fight the couple had about five months into their relationship that had been caused by some miscommunication.

"See, it's not always easy," Scorpius titled his head, trying to read Rose's face for her reaction.

She sighed and finally looked up from the ground, "But you two still have each other. You've been friends since the beginning - it's like the universe handed you to each other. Why do I have to suffer through douchey guys who don't actually give a shit and you found the love of your life at age eleven?"

"Well, to be fair, we didn't know that we were going to be in love when we first met, it took about four years. So maybe you've found your soulmate but you just don't know it yet," Scorpius offered, pulling Rose into a comforting hug.

Rose leaned her head on Scorpius' chest, relishing the attention for a moment before pushing away, "Yeah, maybe you're right. I shouldn't be so stupid about all this. I'll find someone who loves me eventually," she said confidently and Scorpius smiled proudly.

"Do it," Rose spoke, tucking her robes around her as she started to step away from Scorpius.

"Do what?" Scorpius asked, moving to follow her.

"Give Albus that promise ring. He lives for sappy, romantic shit. He'll eat it up," she smiled warmly and dashed off, leaving Scorpius with his nerves about presenting the ring to Albus.

He had no idea how he wanted to give it to Albus, he didn't have a big display ready, or a particular moment picked out. He figured he'd know when the time was right to ask him, but Scorpius still was nervous.

••••

The boys usually used their free period to film videos, at this moment Albus was setting up his camera while Scorpius was sat on the couch. In their fourth year when they first started uploading videos to YouTube, they came up with a room in the Room of Requirement where they could film and it didn't give away that their school was a castle, and it also prevented people from interrupting their filming. The Room had supplied a comfy, navy blue couch. The walls were a beige color, but the wall that they usually filmed against was covered in pictures and letters and drawings that they'd received from fans over the past couple years. Jonah, Rose, and Sheila also used this room when filming. Sheila and Scorpius had their own little corner for filming their makeup videos. The five usually just hung out in here whenever they could and it was used quite frequently.

Albus turned on the camera and sat down next to Scorpius. "Wait, is this going on your channel, or mine?" Albus asked and Scorpius shrugged.

"Doesn't matter."

Albus did the introduction and explained that even though Q and A's were basic, it had been a while since they had last done one and it was about time. Several people had even requested it.

"Let's get to it then!" Scorpius said enthusiastically, opening his phone. "We asked you guys on Twitter to send us some questions, so here goes nothing. The first question is from Trish Malfoy-Potter-"

"Great last name," Albus held up an 'O.K' sign, "Sounds so familiar..."

Scorpius rolled his eyes fondly, "The question is, 'what bothers you most on your social medias?'"

"Hmm," Scorpius thought for a moment, "Honestly I hate when people comment, 'daddy,' on pictures of you and stuff."

Albus laughed, "Really? I don't even notice it."

"Yes! You don't go through your own comments?" Scorpius wondered.

"Well sometimes yeah, but it doesn't phase me. Why? Are you jealous?" Albus teased, pulling on the strings of Scorpius' hoodie.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "No, it just makes me uncomfortable."

"Ahh, you're precious," Albus kissed his cheek, pulling him closer by the strings.

"The next question is from Chloe27, she says 'get married,'" Scorpius read off.

"That's not a question! Next," responded Albus who was now playfully resting his head on Scorpius' shoulder. Scorpius felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of Albus not even wanting to talk about the possibility of marriage. He subtly reached in his hoodie pocket and gripped the promise ring box.

"Next question is for Albus specifically, 'Does it bother you that Scorpius shaves his legs?'"

Albus sat up, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, "No. Why would it bother me? It's his choice about what he does with his body. Besides, it doesn't affect me in anyway except when he lays his legs in my lap a they're all nice and smooth." Scorpius just laughed as Albus gave him a comforting smile.

Scorpius had been shaving his legs for a couple months now, he did it because he felt more comfortable that way and they just felt nice. Sheila had taught him a spell that basically just vanished all the hair and left your legs smooth as ever without having to go through the hassle of actually shaving and he took advantage of it.

"This one is for both of us, 'if you had a son and a daughter, what would their names be?' Ooh, that's a good question," Scorpius approved.

"I've always wanted a daughter named Taryn," Albus answered quickly, "I don't know why but I love that name."

"I think I'd want to name my child Piper. Boy or girl," Scorpius replied and Albus nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, there you go! Taryn and Piper. Now it's set in stone, we have to adopt a girl and a boy," Albus said positively and the pinch of sadness Scorpius had from earlier disappeared.

"Reyna Dean asked, 'are you dog people or cat people?'"

"I am a dog person, but I really don't mind cats," Albus replied.

"I'm kid of a both person, but I prefer cats," Scorpius answered, "I love seeing cats around school."

"We should allow dogs, do you know how amazing that would be? Why do they allow cats, frogs, and rats, but not dogs? That's just racist," Albus shook his head in disappointment.

Scorpius laughed, "That's not racist? What the heck?" he shook his head slightly at how much of a dork his boyfriend was. "I think they allow cats and not dogs is because cats can be independent and stuff, dogs like people so they'd be bothering everyone. Where cats just slink by and don't make a lot fuss. Plus they're smaller."

"Fair point," Albus nodded, "What's the next question then?"

The two carried on answering questions until they got bored, then stopped filming just to chill with each other. They were cracking jokes and having a good time just with each other. Scorpius felt overcome with love for this boy and he really hoped Albus felt the same, though it was hard to think he didn't when Albus continuously leaned in for kisses and the way he looked at Scorpius made his insides melt.

Scorpius knew it was the perfect moment. Albus was giving him a huge smile that Scropius couldn't resist. He reached into his pocket for the ring, preparing himself to take it out. He stood up, his hand stuffed in his pocket still, "Al, there's something that I want to-" he started to say but suddenly the door busted open and Jonah came bouncing in, "Mate, you'll never believe this! I got an 'O' on my Divination essay!"

Albus jumped up to celebrate with Jonah, completely distracted from what Scorpius was going to say.

Scorpius' heart sank slightly. They were having such a good moment, he should have brought it out earlier. Being a good sport, he gave Jonah a high five and a supportive pat on the back. Jonah went on about how hard he'd worked to get a good grade on it and Scorpius zoned him out, thinking about how he should have proposed to Albus.

••••

There were rainbows and bright colors everywhere they looked. Albus gripped Scorpius' hand tightly the entire time and excitedly pointed out uniquely dressed people, or other gay couples.

Albus had tied the gay flag from his birthday around his shoulders like a cape, and had smeared rainbow paint across his cheeks. Scorpius had charmed his hair all colors of the rainbow and done his eye makeup in a rainbow which had taken him longer than any other makeup look had, but it had turned out good so he wasn't complaining. He also had painted his nails bright pink, and convinced Albus to let him paint his nails too, Albus chose a bright red to match the red equal sign on his shirt.

There was lots of commotion around them as Scorpius pulled them to a stop at the edge of the crowd. "What are you doing?" Albus asked, squeezing both of Scorpius' hands as he pulled him off.

They weren't completely out of the way of the crowd, but the reporters and bystanders could be seen now. "There's something I want to ask you," Scorpius explained, giving Albus a big smile.

"What is it?" Albus smiled back hesitantly, his expression changing as he watched Scorpius lower himself to one knee, let go of one of his hands and pull out the small ring box. "Oh my god, Scorpius!" his now empty hand flew to cover his mouth. Neither of them had realized that the reporters were now flashing their cameras around them and everyone was mumbling about Harry Potter's son!

"Albus Severus Potter, you are my best friend, and the love of my life! But we are rather young, so I'm waiting to ask for you your hand in marriage and asking you to promise to always be with me until that day comes with this promise ring?" Scorpius spoke and Albus barely heard him over his shock, tears, and the crowd that had swarmed around them. Albus nodded furiously and everyone cheered around them as Scorpius sprang to his feet and pulled Albus into a passionate kiss.

•••• 

"This is all over every possible paper in the Wizarding World," Rose slapped down the newest edition of the Prophet in front of Scorpius and Albus at breakfast the next day.

On the front cover was a picture of Scorpius leaping from his knee to throw his arms around Al's neck and kiss him with the words, 'Malfoy and Potter: Engaged?'

"Let them think what they want," Scorpius shrugged, turning to his food.

"Yeah," Albus agreed, a mouth full of food. He swallowed in a big gulp, "Besides, I've had a ton of crap written about me and my family in the papers before and I don't give a shit. Also, they're not that far off. We'd be engaged if our parents wouldn't kill us," Albus explained.

"You can't get engaged," Rose glared at them from across the table, "I won't let you until you're at least graduated."

Albus rolled his eyes, "We're not getting engaged just yet. Chill," he assured.

"Speaking of parents," Sheila pointed into the air with her fork as the owls swooped into the Great Hall.

Albus watched as his parents' owl swooped over to the Ravenclaw table and dropped a letter in front of him then swooped off over to the Gryffindor table for Lily.

He picked up the letter and carefully opened it as if it was a howler disguised as a normal letter.

"Albus Severus,  
I wanted to send you a howler but your father convinced me otherwise.

ENGAGED??!?!!!?! WHAT??? Albus you've just turned 17! You're not old enough to get married! And! You snuck out of school to go to London! What were you thinking?! There are so many things that could have gone wrong! And you're engaged! I'm in shock! Why didn't you tell me? I had to find out through the Daily Prophet and not my own son?? I am your mother and deserve to know if my son is getting engaged!'

Albus merely skimmed over the next two paragraphs worth of his mother ranting and sighed, setting it down on the table and returning to his breakfast.

"What'd she say?" questioned Rose.

"Not much," Albus replied, "It was mostly a repetition of 'I can't believe you're engaged!' and 'You went to London?!' in varying degrees of anger."

"My father hasn't sent anything. I don't know whether to be nervous or glad that he hasn't," Scorpius admitted, pushing his food around.

"I don't think you should worry about it too much," Rose offered, "You left on a good note with your father, I'm sure it's not that big of a deal to him. If anything he's probably proud of you."

Scorpius gave her a doubtful look, "Proud is not something my father feels about me. To him I'm probably the most disappointing son in the world."

"Oh don't say that, you're a wonderful person, Scorpius, with thousands of qualities to be proud of," Rose kicked his shin lovingly under the table.

"You're just saying that," Scorpius sighed, pushing his empty plate away. He stood up and threw his bag over his shoulder. "I'm going to head to the library to finish some homework before class. See you guys later," and he headed off.

"Bye, Scorpius?" Albus called, confused that he just left abruptly like that, without a kiss or anything.

Scorpius spun around, walking backwards slightly as he waved, then spun back around to leave.

"What's up with him?" Jonah asked cautiously.

Albus shrugged, "I don't know really, but he got a letter from his father before we left for the parade and I think that has something to do with it."

"Well what'd it say?" Sheila asked a bit eagerly.

"I don't know," Al threw his arms up slightly, "He didn't open it when he got it and I haven't seen it since."

"I'm sure he'll tell us what's up when he's ready," Sheila chimed in and they all nodded in agreement.


End file.
